In response to disparities in college matriculation between different groups, the University of California (UC) started the Puente Project. The mission of the program as described on their official website is “to increase the number of educationally underrepresented students who enroll in four-year colleges and universities, earn college degrees and return to the community as mentors and leaders to future generations.”
Although there are many ways to succeed without one, a college degree offers a significant advantage in the workplace. A vast alumni network, impressive credentials, and educational respectability are benefits that can be difficult to attain without possessing a college degree. According to the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, college graduates are about 24 percent more likely to be employed than those with only a high school diploma. The benefits of a degree continue to serve alumni in both the hiring/recruitment process and also after they are hired. These advantages can be seen in the earnings of college vs high school graduates: men who have bachelor’s degrees earn approximately $900,000 more in median lifetime earnings than high school graduates, and women with bachelor’s degrees earn $630,000 more.
However, in the U.S., these benefits are disproportionately experienced by people of European descent, who make up the majority of college graduates. According to statistics from educationdata.org, 53.59 percent of all college graduates are white, compared to 17.27 percent of Latinos in 2024. These numbers were more staggering in 1981, when the Puente Project was founded, with only 3.3 percent of U.S. college graduates being Latino.
Puente achieves their goal through a variety of means: by helping provide clarity around the requirements of the college application process to first-generation Latino students. Many of the components of applying to college, including letters of recommendation, visiting college campuses, standardized testing, GPA requirements, and application essays, are not intuitive and can be extremely confusing. These requirements only become more confusing for students that don’t have trusted people helping them meet these benchmarks. This is part of the reason as to why many students whose parents didn’t attend college also don’t attend themselves.
When it comes to defining the actual structure of Puente, Ave Melgoza, the Puente school counselor at both Berkeley High School (BHS) and Longfellow, explains it best. Melgoza stated, “The model of the program is that there is a special, bilingual Puente school counselor and a Puente English teacher per each Puente school.” Melgoza summarized the decision behind this system, saying, “They realized the number one hiccup or challenge first-gen Latino students faced when applying to college was not having strong reading and writing skills, as well as the college knowledge to be able to successfully graduate.”
One of the activities Melgoza facilitates is lecturing on transcript analysis during students’ Puente English classes. Melgoza also mentioned an activity where students learn about different California colleges and subsequently present to each other. Another aspect of the program —as well as a favorite of many students — is the field trips to visit colleges. “I like going on the field trips because I can envision myself in that school. It helps me know if that school would be a good fit for me or not,” said Diana Ibarra Alvarado, a junior in AC. BHS junior Stephanie Milian Carretero echoed this sentiment and named Saint Mary’s as her favorite campus visit so far.
For sophomore Nicolás McCarthy, the benefits of being a member of the Puente program are clear. “I know what I need to do to get into a good college, what the requirements are.” McCarthy said, “like I know that for UCs, you need to get at least a C in your class for it to count towards college credit.” Alvarado reiterated this statement, sharing how she knew she wanted to go to college, but didn’t have the necessary tools to learn more about her options. “Being able to learn about (college) is really helpful, and knowing the steps I have to take, like more community service hours.” Carretero also appreciates having the same counselor for 3 years. “It's really helpful to have the same counselor for three years, I feel like we have a better connection,” she said.
Currently, the Puente program is thriving and has expanded to seven middle schools, 36 high schools and 65 community colleges throughout the state. While experiences may vary across locations, the BHS program has been incredibly successful and well-received by students and staff alike.