Written by Dr. Jose L. Fierro, D.V.M., Ph.D. Cerritos College President/Superintendent
In recent years, we have seen more Latinx students heading to college. With this shift, community colleges must play a major role in educating this growing population to help ensure their future success.
As a majority-minority campus, Cerritos College is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and boasts a 70 percent Latinx student enrollment. In 2021, the College ranked seventh among the top 100 schools in the nation with the highest Latinx enrollment. We have also been recognized as one of the leading institutions for Latinx in the United States.
While Latinx students have been historically underserved in education, our approach is to focus on student-centered equity and access that is informed by strong data. Our Student Equity Plan aims to close achievement gaps for Latinx students and other disproportionately impacted groups by supporting them through enrollment, retention, degree completion, transfer, and certificate attainment. These efforts include professional development for faculty and staff, high school outreach, and academic support. Some of our services, such as embedded tutoring, target-specific programming, and transfer awareness activities, have proven to be effective.
Programs geared towards access and success
At Cerritos College, we are focused on removing barriers to increase student success. We have done this through our Puente Program, a one-year cohort model that guarantees students access to transfer-level courses. These courses help students become familiar with the transfer process.
One especially unique aspect of the Puente Program is the professors’ approach to teaching courses from a Latinx perspective, including historical and contemporary issues. Students who participated in the program have shown higher success rates compared to the general student population. For example, in 2020-21, Puente students had a 73 percent success rate compared to 68 percent among the general student population.
Puente alumnus Jesus Ayala is a fine example of the positive impact of the Puente Program. Jesus shares, “As a student of color living with a disability, the odds were stacked against me in education and society. I never knew higher education was available for a Chicano like myself, but Puente opened a window to a new horizon and introduced me to a new world.
My English professor saw far more in me than I ever saw in myself. My Puente counselor was also there for me and didn’t let me quit. Because of Puente, I graduated from Cerritos College with honors.”
Jesus graduated from UCLA this year with a B.A. in sociology and a minor in Chicano Studies.
Another way we address the needs of underserved students is to increase access to education through the Cerritos Complete Promise Program. We provide eligible high school seniors with two years of free tuition, priority enrollment, one-on-one counseling, and career exploration, among other benefits. Cerritos Complete allows first-time college students to save money and graduate from college on time. Current students in the program have an 80 percent success rate as compared to other first-time students with a success rate of 46 percent.
Cerritos Complete has positively influenced Destiny Islas’ life. For example, when asked about her experience in the program, Destiny shared, “I didn’t have a clue about higher education as a first-generation college student. This program opened my eyes and showed me how valuable community colleges are. I have received many scholarships, internships, and guest speaking opportunities because of Cerritos Complete.”
Destiny transferred to California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) in 2019 and received her bachelor’s degree. She completed a study abroad program in London this summer and will pursue a master’s degree in public administration at CSULB.
Supporting the basic needs of our students removes obstacles so they can focus on completing their educational goals. Sixty percent of our students receive financial aid, and more than 70 percent qualify for CalFresh, a state nutrition program for low-income populations. In 2020, the College opened The Village, California’s first community college housing project available exclusively for homeless students. This year, we also launched a discounted transit pass for students and opened the Falcon’s Nest, a network of resources including a free campus food pantry featuring healthy and fresh food, clothing assistance, hygiene support, emergency aid, and housing resources.
Through the Falcon’s Nest, student Jacqueline Benitez is housed at The Village. Before her grandmother passed away in 2020, Jacqueline had a stable home. Now that she lives at The Village, Jacqueline works at the Falcon’s Nest as a CalFresh Outreach Assistant, helping fellow students with food assistance applications.
Jacqueline is graduating in the fall.
Positive impacts and going forward
Cerritos College is recognized as a leader in student success. In 2018, the College was honored with the Examples of Excelencia Award, the only national effort to identify and promote evidence-based practices that help accelerate Latinx student success in higher education. In 2015, the College also ranked second in the state for Latinx transfers to the California State University system and 38th in the nation for awarding the most associate degrees to Latinx students in 2021.
Most recently, Cerritos College ranked 11th among the nation’s best community colleges for 2022 by College Consensus, which recognized our focus on first-generation students and our services and programs designed to put students first.
We are honored to serve our students with excellent resources and believe our success is a testament to the tireless work of our dedicated faculty and staff. We remain committed to developing policies and implementing innovative programs that will help Latinx students transform hardship into academic and professional success.
Author Bio:
Dr. Jose L. Fierro, D.V.M., Ph.D., joined Cerritos College in 2015. Under his leadership, the College has experienced record-breaking graduation rates and added innovative, award-winning programs to ensure student success. He serves as president of the National Community College Hispanic Council and is president of the CEOCCC Board.
