PUENTE PROGRAM	PUENTISTAS' ACHIEVEMENTS	INTERNSHIPS/ SCHOLARSHIPS/ FINANCIAL AID
PHOTOS	MENTORS	SKYLINE STUDENT SERVICES

PUENTE PROGRAM

The Puente Program is a two-semester program which links students, a counselor, an English instructor, community mentors and UC and other colleges in an effort to increase the number of students who transfer from two-year colleges to four-year colleges.

The goal of the Puente Program is to increase the number of educationally under-served students who enroll in four-year colleges and universities. Through the reading of Chicano/Latino literature and writings, counseling assistance, and connections to professional mentors, students receive the instruction and support they need to achieve academic success and transfer. Students also participate in extracurricular activities, such as college tours, UC representative visits, and family nights, which are designed to increase the retention of Puente Students. Originally, the goal of the Puente Program was to increase the number of Mexican American and Latino students who transfer to four-year colleges and universities. Today, the program is open to all students.

The Puente Program curriculum includes the following courses:

• Fall Semester English/Reading 846 (Reading and Writing Connections) and COUN 100 (Puente College Success Seminar)
• Spring Semester English 100 (Composition)

What you'll get from Puente:

• Linked courses (English/ Reading 846 and COUN 100)
• Easy integration of transfer activities
• Leadership development
• Formal one-to-one mentor-student relationship (sustained for a minimum of one year)
• Motivational speakers
• Cultural and literary events
• Transfer information and student success skills
• The writing skills and one-on-one tutoring essential to college success
• A support system to help you over the hurdles of collegiate life

For more information about Skyline College's Puente Program, contact Puente Counselor Luis Escobar at escobarluis@smccd.edu or 650-738- 4464 or Puente English Instructor Lucia Lachmayr at lachmayrl@smccd.edu or 650-738-4146.

For more information about the statewide Puente Program, see www.puente.net.

INTERNSHIPS/ SCHOLARSHIPS/ FINANCIAL AID

TOMAS RIVERA POLICY INSTITUTE'S LATINO COLLEGE DOLLARS

SKYLINE SCHOLARSHIPS

MALDEF SCHOLARSHIP LIST (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund)

HISPANIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND

FINANCIAL AID WEBSITES

1) MALDEF is committed to providing resources and information to immigrant students regarding private scholarships and financial opportunities for higher education. Please visit our website, then choose the "scholarships- lista de becas" icon. You must have Acrobat Reader, which you can download for free, on your computer to access the list.

 2) Websites You Should Know if You Want Money for College (Thanks to Puentista, Skyline Ambassador, and Latin American Student Organization President Daniel Tostado for the following handout.)

• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): www.fafsa.ed.gov The online version lets you apply for FREE grants.
• Federal School Codes www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/Students/apply.html The site lists codes that are needed in order to complete the FAFSA.
• Help in Completing the FAFSA : www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/FAFSA
• The Student Guide: www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide
• College Opportunities On-line (COOL database): http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool/
• College Aid Sources for Higher Education (CASHE) www.cashe.com or www.salliemae.com This is a national financial aid resource database that helps students and parents find private funds to attend college. It is one of the industry’s largest and most comprehensive resources, including thousands of individual awards from all types of sponsors fro freshman thru Doctorate students.
• Educaid: www.educaid.com, This is a division of the Money Store, it is one of the top ten education lenders in the U.S. that offers federal and private loans exclusively for education. The toll free number is 1-800-Educaid
• SallieMae (www.salliemae.com) This is one of the largest financial aid institutions that offers information and hands on interaction with calculators, publications, financial aid 101 and scholarship services.
• fastweb.com, is the Internets largest free scholarship search. Your personalized profile will match your specific skills, abilities and internet to fastWEB’s database of over 400,000 scholarships. Just to complete ix simple steps to get immediate results on line.
• FinAid (www.finaid.org) is a free, comprehensive independent and objective guide to student financial aid.

This page was last updated on August 1, 2007.