About Us
The Puente Project is a national award-winning program that has improved the college-going rate of hudreds of thousands of California's first-generation students since 1981.
Our mission is to increase the number of students who enroll in colleges and universities, earn college degrees and return to the community as mentors and leaders to future generations. The program is interdisciplinary in approach, with writing, math and science, counseling, and mentoring components as well as professional development offerings. We serve over 300,000 students and professionals at the middle school, high school, and community college levels.
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The Puente Project is an inter-segmental program that is co-sponsored by the University of California and the California Community College Chancellor's Office. The Program is headquartered at UC Berkeley where Puente leadership staff work closely with the site team partners (English instructors and counselors) to implement the program at middle schools, high schools and community colleges across the states of California and Texas.
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Puente staff at the statewide office curate ongoing professional development for educators and administrators of all grade levels. Our middle school, high school and community college instructors and counselors serve as co-coordinators in implementing a program of rigorous academic instruction, focused academic counseling, and mentoring by members of the community. Puente's training programs have benefited hundreds of thousands of students across the state, and we're growing!
Our History
​Puente was founded in 1981 by Felix Galaviz and Patricia McGrath at Chabot College in Hayward. The program was launched as a grassroots initiative to address the low rate of academic achievement among Mexican American and Latino students. In an effort to understand the possible causes of their high dropout rate, Galaviz and McGrath reviewed over 2,000 student transcripts. They discovered three key patterns among Latino students: students were avoiding academic counseling, students were not enrolling in college-level writing courses, and students were the first in their families to attend college. The Puente model that emerged in response to these patterns comprises three components: rigorous language arts instruction, sustained academic counseling, and community leadership development and mentoring.​
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Since it's founding, the program has since expanded to 11 middle schools, 50+ high schools and more than two-thirds of the 116 California community colleges.Puente staff train middle school, high school and community college instructors and counselors to implement a program of rigorous instruction, focused academic counseling, and mentoring by members of the community. Puente's staff training programs have benefited approximately 300,000 students across the state of California.
Looking Forward:
Puente As a National Model for Student Success
After more than 40 years of continuous operation, The Puente Project continues to be a pillar of strength in its communities and continues to expand its reach year after year. It is with great pride to note that Puente alumni rise in-action to fulfill its mission as well. The number of Puentistas returning to their communities as mentors (especially to current cohorts of Puentistas) and leaders, also continues to increase exponentially year after year. Many Puente alum are also making their impact as Puente teachers and counselors in public and private education systems.
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The Puente Project remains committed to being an agent-of-change and transformative experience for both students and educators alike.​​​ Recent additions to the Puente framework include piloting a Math and Science (Puente MaS) program and implementing new Ethnic Studies curriculum for our high school scholars (ahead of the state mandate thanks to AB101). The new curriculum has been well received and will continue to expand in the coming years.
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Puente staff at the statewide office curate ongoing professional development for educators and administrators of all grade levels. Our middle school, high school and community college instructors and counselors serve as co-coordinators in implementing a program of rigorous academic instruction, focused academic counseling, and mentoring by members of the community.