A Bridge Toward Change

When Eva Cabral, 35, stepped foot in her English classroom at Rio Hondo College in Whittier earlier this month, she began what she hopes will be a family tradition.

Cabral moved here at age 10 with her family of eight from the northern state of Zacatecas in Mexico. After she graduated from Garfield High in East Los Angeles in 1978 she juggled secretarial jobs.

There was little question of going further in school. As in many Mexican families, she and her siblings knew their role was to find a job right after high school to support the family.

“I didn’t have time for an education,” Cabral said. “I didn’t have much encouragement to stick with school.”

But now Cabral has crossed a bridge to what she hopes will be a new perspective on the role of education. She’s enrolled in an intensive statewide program that prepares Latino students to succeed in four-year universities and professional careers.

The Oakland-based Puente Project (puente means “bridge” in Spanish) has been adopted in 18 high schools and 38 community colleges throughout the state. Since its inception in 1981, more than 5,500 students have participated in the program, underwritten by state funds, private foundations, corporations and California school districts. Cabral is one of about 1,700 students participating this year.

Co-sponsored by the University of California and the California Community Colleges, the Puente Project aims to decrease the dismal dropout rate of Latino students through English instruction, counseling and mentoring.

One out of four California Latino students had dropped out between 9th grade and their scheduled completion of high school last year, far worse than the overall dropout rate of one in six. In Los Angeles County, one out of three Latino 9th-graders didn’t complete high school.

It was an all-too-familiar pattern to college counselor Felix Galaviz and English teacher Patricia McGrath at Chabot College in Hayward, who created the Puente Project. After scrutinizing 2,000 transcripts of Latino students at the college, they discovered that most students came from families where parents spoke little English and held no high school diploma, Galaviz said.

“We found Latino students have a strong interest and motivation to pursue higher education,” Galaviz said. “But many don’t have the role models or someone to guide them toward a college degree.”

Educators determined that students needed three key components--culturally tailored English classes, role models and parental support.

“A lot of students I work with come in with questions about how to apply to universities and financial aid,” said Puente counselor Evette Garcia. “It’s easy to get lost in the school system.”

Community colleges with Puente Project transfer 56% of Puente students to four-year universities. In comparison, only about 7% of community college students transfer to four-year universities, according to state officials.

Educators say the success rate is due to small class size--no more than 30 students per class--and monthly parent/instructor meetings. Each Puente participant works with one counselor and one mentor throughout the four years of the program.

The Puente English class is not structured like a traditional literature class. Students meet the Latino writers they study, including poet Gary Soto and novelist Sandra Cisneros, through classroom visits and events.

“It’s inspirational to talk to Latino writers who have overcome cultural barriers and are successful now,” said Jessica Estrada, a Puente participant who graduated from UC Irvine last spring with her bachelor’s degree in criminology.

Students also make trips to University of California campuses and attend college admissions workshops during the first year with the program.

Cabral lives in Whittier with her Spanish-speaking parents: Pedro, 75, a retired factory worker, and Elisa, 61, a homemaker, and three siblings. She plans to transfer to Cal Poly Pomona to pursue a career in computer programming.

“I’m the first in my family to go to college. That’s the best decision I ever made.”