El Camino College’s Puente Project Celebrates 40 Years Serving Students
El Camino College student Adrian Reyes will be transferring to Cal State Long Beach this fall thanks, in part, to the support of the PUENTE Project
When Adrian Reyes enrolled in El Camino three years ago, he also joined the Puente Project, which helped him make the most of his time at the college. He left a successful career as a welder to pursue his longtime dream of becoming an engineer, and through Puente he found academic support, completed an internship that led to a full-time job, and made lasting friendships.
Reyes is now ready to graduate with El Camino’s Class of 2026 and will transfer to Cal State Long Beach in the fall to continue his studies in mechanical engineering.
“I have a really cool job related to my major – honestly the best job I ever had – I have a good schedule, and I am doing exactly what I want to do; I’m in a pretty sweet spot,” said Reyes, who works at Northrop Grumman as an engineering technician. “Puente has done so much for me, I can’t thank them enough. They have introduced me to everything I know about El Camino.”
Reyes’ academic and career journey is just one of countless success stories guided by El Camino’s Puente Project, a comprehensive learning community and support program that is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year by recognizing four decades of exemplary students and alumni who achieved their academic and career goals.
A special End-of-the-Year Celebration on May 27 at the Torrance Marriott honored 40 years of students who had the commitment, dedication and perseverance to set goals and achieve their dreams. Highlights of the event included a guest list that covered four decades of Puente alumni, as well as former and current Puente faculty coordinators. Counselor and Puente Project co-coordinator Griselda Castro said Puente alum and guest speaker, Oscar Ortiz, who now has his own consulting business and serves as president of Ortiz Process Technologies LLC, was inspiring and is an example of the impact Puente has made on students through the years.
“We love to see the Puente students’ transition and growth from when they first enter the Puente program, to receiving an associate degree and/or transfer to a university, later becoming professionals and parents,” added counselor and Puente co-coordinator Maribel Hernandez.
Established during the 1985-1986 academic year with just one cohort of 30 students, El Camino’s Puente Project is one of the oldest in the country and is the college’s first-ever linked learning community for an academic support program. Puente now has three cohorts – including Reyes’ STEM cohort – and serves more than 420 students in various stages of their academic journey, a record number for the program that also serves a majority of first-generation students.
Puente students have access to educational activities on and off campus, including workshops, guest lectures, university tours, art and cultural events, conferences, and other opportunities to grow and transform into outstanding higher education scholars. A hallmark of the program is its robust mentoring network, with approximately 30 mentors actively involved in providing invaluable connection, confidence, and camaraderie to support students through their college journey.
Castro and Hernandez are featured on a new edition of ElCo Chats,” El Camino’s award-winning podcast series that shares inspiring stories of student success. They share their journeys as first-generation college students and now counselors who guide others along the same path. Their discussion also centers on what makes Puente work: the cohort model, the integration of counseling and instruction, the mentors who show students what’s possible, and the sense of “familia” that follows “Puentistas” long after they transfer.
In addition to Castro and Hernandez, members of the Puente faculty include Michael Reyes, English; Dr. Erica Brenes, English; Claudia Velazquez, counselor; and Dr. Oscar Villareal, math.
Adrian Ramirez was one of the many ECC students who celebrated PUENTE’s 40th anniversary and will graduate next week.
For more information about opportunities and support available through the Puente Project, contact [email protected] or view www.elcamino.edu/support/resources/puente-project/.