During the summer, we successfully organized three K-16 College & Career Exploration experiences for students.
On May 31, 2024, the Black Employee Resource Group Chair at Hewlett-Packard Company hosted 25 San Jose State students. These students toured the Customer Welcome Center on the Hewlett-Packard campus, enjoyed lunch, and networked with Hewlett-Packard employees, gaining insights into educational pathways and career trajectories in the tech industry.
Additionally, on July 2, 2024, we arranged a K-16 College & Career Exploration experience for 35 TRIO Upward Bound high school students to visit UC Berkeley’s College of Engineering. Following the campus tour, the students traveled to Sacramento, CA, where they participated in iFly’s STEM lab engineering course and experienced indoor skydiving.
Our third experience involved students from the Milpitas Unified School District, where a group of 40 first-generation students toured San Jose State University. They participated in tours and informational sessions focused on the Education and Technology career pathway.
During the summer of 2024, CEP partnered with OUA to provide an 8-week summer transition support
to 283 incoming Golden Bears who are Pell-Grant eligible and from identified underrepresented groups. Dr. Claudia Aguilar trained and supervised 3 DCAC advisers to support students via the Summer College Transition Program. Advisers hosted 6 College Success Webinars and shared key enrollment and transition information through websites, College Enrollment Checklist, and other key tools. Advisers engaged with students via email, text, office hours, 1:1 appointments, and phone calls.
The Pre-College Academy (PCA) is a six-week college preparatory summer program hosted by DCAC and EAOP at the University of California, Berkeley, which served 180 students this year.
For 39 years, PCA has provided intensive preparation for students enrolled in partner schools throughout the Bay Area. PCA prepares students for their academic and professional futures by providing them with the opportunity to share in the University of California's tradition of educational excellence and diversity. PCA prepares students for success in the following academic year, including preparation for classes that meet the University of California's and California State University's A-G subject requirements. Each student in PCA takes two courses, a math course that prepares them for the math course that they will take in the next academic year and a college writing course. In addition, students participate in weekly program events that strengthen community in the program and build confidence in exploring the college campus and resources. This year we continued our partnership with the Pickering Lab on the Berkeley campus to provide interested students the opportunity to participate in a 3-day lab session where students will learn about antibiotic resistance, conduct soil sampling, and DNA sequencing. Students in PCA also attending a field trip to UC Davis this summer and explored the campus.
The Destination College Advising Corp (DCAC) and Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) offer enrollment in UC Berkeley's Summer Sessions for EAOP students entering the twelfth grade, serving 34 students this year.
In addition to being enrolled in an actual UC Berkeley course, students are placed in a special DCAC & EAOP discussion session and provided with a teaching assistant who guides them through the course material during the program. Summer Sessions courses are extremely rigorous, as they are fifteen-week classes compressed into six weeks. Courses are taught by UC Berkeley professors and attended by UC undergraduates. This year, there were three courses available for EAOP UC Berkeley Summer Sessions: Anthropology 2AC (Introduction to Archeology), Anthropology R5B (Anthropology of Food), and EPS 80 (Earth and Planetary Science). Credit earned in a UC Berkeley Summer Sessions course appears on a standard UC Berkeley transcript and is transferable to many colleges and universities. This year both our EAOP Summer Session and Pre-College Scholar Summer Session attended a 2-days seminar: RISE, which focused on college-level writing (partnership with UC Berkeley Townsend Writing Center), navigating college resources, honing professional development and networking skills (partnership with UC Berkeley’s bridges) to successfully transition to college.
We hosted a six-day UC-focused Senior Seminar to support cohort students across all sites,
held simultaneously in San Jose and at UC Berkeley, serving 125 students. The event featured a UC Showcase, with seven UC representatives attending the in-person Berkeley event. Dr. Aguilar led a session on UC PIQs, while TRIO Director Keyanna Hatcher facilitated a powerful "What's Your Why" session. The week concluded with students participating in writing labs to kick-start their PIQ drafting process.
EAOP/DCAC Senior Seminar Empowers Students at San Jose State University
From June 21st and June 24th to June 28th, 2024, 62 rising seniors from The East Side Union High School District and San Jose Unified School District gathered at San Jose State University for the EAOP/DCAC Senior Seminar. This intensive program provided students with guidance on navigating the University of California application process. Participants explored different writing prompts, had an opportunity to meet UC reps, and gained insider tips and strategies to help them craft compelling essays.
The Pre-Collegiate Academy took place from June 17th to July 18th at Merritt College, hosting 118 rising 7th to 12th graders.
The program focused on two main areas: math and college and career readiness.
In the math program, students engaged with content that prepared them for the rigor of their upcoming academic year. Each summer, the program adopts a theme, and this year’s theme was fantasy baseball. Within this theme, each class worked on a unique summer-long project. Two classes were tasked with designing a park, while another focused on creating their dream house, all while adhering to a budget. The geometry class applied their learning by painting murals that incorporated transformations and scaling. Two additional classes analyzed statistics related to redlining in Oakland, culminating in presentations of their findings. At the end of the program, all students showcased their projects to their peers, demonstrating their learning and creativity.
The College and Career Readiness Program provided students with essential skills for their future. They learned how to make informed decisions, communicate professionally via email, and navigate the various college systems, including community colleges and California State Universities. To create an engaging learning environment, Jeopardy games were incorporated. The curriculum also covered topics such as what to look for in a college, career exploration aligned with students' interests and characteristics, and financial literacy. Rising 8th graders practiced financial decision-making by creating travel itineraries within a budget, rising 9th graders constructed models of their dream colleges out of cardboard, and seniors began working on their college essays and learning about financing their education.
EBSCC hosted its Summer Melt program, which extended our college advising services for recently graduated seniors.
Over an 8-week period, our advising staff reached out to over 2,500 seniors and provided individual services to over 200 recent graduates. We were also able to collaborate with our school partners and community organizations to provide multiple Cash For College workshops to support graduates with their financial aid next steps.
NAF at Berkeley served 170 high school students from all over California in our 2024 summer residential program,
with each grade level participating in their own 5-6 day stay on the UC Berkeley campus! Our rising sophomore and junior scholars participated in daily STEAM classes focused on Forensic Science. In these workshops, students unlocked the world of forensic science investigation through fingerprint analysis, microscopy, DNA testing, blood spatter analysis, and facial recognition utilizing cutting-edge AI tools in this intensive hands-on experience. Beyond our scholars’ accelerated classroom experience, our senior scholars also participated in Industry Tours of world-renowned STEAM companies, engaged with career-training professional guest speakers, and emphasized personal goal-setting with our summer staff. This summer, we visited UC Berkeley’s College of Chemistry, BioRad, Asana, and the SF Exploratorium.
In August, the Puente Project hosted the 2024 Math and Science Academy at UC Berkeley.
The 2024 Puente Math and Science (MaS) Academy brought together 55 students from 32 California community colleges for a 4-day residential conference experience at UC Berkeley. The MaS Academy curriculum was curated with an environmental justice focus and provided students with a variety of workshops that sought grow their STEM confidence.
In July, the Puente Project hosted its first Ethnic Studies Summit.
51 Educators from across California came together for an immersive, experiential teaching+learning experience curated by Puente's Professional Development team. Participants engaged with leading Ethnic Studies scholars, shared best practices, visited The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, and experienced a cooking class led by an Indigenous / Mesoamerican traditional plant-based chef.
In June, both secondary programs and community college programs hosted their annual Puente Summer Institute (PSI)
where new Puente teachers and counselors come together for a week-long intensive where they are “Puentefied” and prepared for their new classes in the Fall. The community college PSI welcomed 43 new faculty from campuses throughout California, and secondary programs welcomed more than 22 participants from campuses statewide!
In July, the Puente Project hosted the UCRP Leadership Conference at UC Riverside.
51 Puente Club leaders from community colleges throughout California participated in a 3-day residential conference at UC Riverside to build community, share club ideas and resources, develop leadership skills, and learn more about the UC transfer process as they experienced university campus life.
The ETS Middle School and High School programs each hosted separate week-long summer sessions, packed with engaging activities designed to enhance students' learning experiences
The Middle School Summer Program, held from July 8th to July 11th, took place on campus and featured a different theme each day for 29 Middle School students. The program kicked off with "Earth Day," where students participated in sustainability-focused activities, including a presentation by the Oakland Zoo and Berkeley Fire Department, a planting activity, and guacamole-making. The following day, themed "STEM-ulate Your Mind," centered around STEM careers and chemistry concepts. Students conducted a Tea Time chemistry experiment, engaged in a career panel, and enjoyed making ice cream. The third day, titled "Speak It Into Existence," emphasized communication and the humanities. Workshops were led by Youth Speaks, Hip Hop For Change, and a UC Berkeley adjunct theater professor, who facilitated sessions on poetry, music creation, and applied theater, respectively. The week concluded with a field trip to the Exploratorium, where students participated in a guided tour and a scavenger hunt. Throughout the program, students received daily packets with worksheets and handouts, and they completed exit tickets at the end of each day to reinforce their learning.
The High School Summer Program, held from July 23rd to July 26th, also took place on campus and focused on college preparation for 16 high school students. On the first day, students learned the basics of college knowledge, researched various types of colleges, and tested their understanding through a Jeopardy game. The second day began with a Kahoot review of the previous day’s content, followed by sessions on financial aid, including a scenario-based activity and another Jeopardy game to reinforce their knowledge. The third day was dedicated to professionalism, where students participated in a relay race with stations that covered topics such as A-G requirements, financial aid terms, college types, and email etiquette. The day’s activities culminated in the awarding of the Trio Bootcamp Champ 24 Trophy to the winning team. On the final day, students toured CSU Monterey Bay, attended an admissions presentation, and visited the Monterey Aquarium. Similar to the middle school program, high school students were provided with daily packets of worksheets and handouts, and they completed exit tickets each day to track their progress.
Our Upward Bound summer program featured an enriching 6-week experience for 43 of our students,
combining 3 weeks of on-campus commuting with 3 weeks of travel and residential adventures. We spent a week living on campus, where we also came together as an Upward Bound community to celebrate Juneteenth. We went down to SoCal to tour colleges and universities such as Cal Poly SLO and Cal Lutheran and went to the Reagan Library. Through the 6 weeks, students took a math and English course and worked on a research-based project. Students also selected a novel to read and work on their presentation skills throughout the summer program. Students also participated in a number of workshops by university professors Ula Taylor and Cara Stanley, community partners, Stiles Hall, and UC Berkeley Alumni and Entrepreneur LeAndrew Robinson. Students presented their research and literary projects at our Summer Colloquium where community members, family members and CEP staff came out to support. We ended the summer with a trip to new Orleans! We got to visit LSU, Southern University and University of New Orleans. Students and staff also got to visit the Whitney Plantation and other local attractions.
CEP Transfer Prep hosted TAP into Cal, Summer Enrichment, and TAP into Community College this Summer!
TAP into Cal was a four-day residential program that gave 47 community college transfer students an opportunity to visit the UC Berkeley campus, learn about available majors, receive advice on applying to transfer, engage in professional development, and build community with other TAP students from across the state.
For students who could not participate in the in-person TAP into Cal program, the virtual TAP into Cal series provided 107 students with an opportunity to take advantage of the program's resources in a virtual setting.
Transfer Prep's Summer Enrichment program included 34 students from Berkeley's TAP program who took UC Berkeley classes either virtually or in person. These students participated in programming designed to build community and familiarize them with both their peers and the overall Berkeley academic experience.
CEP's Transfer Prep also hosted TAP into Community College, a virtual program that served 38 graduating high school seniors who will be attending community college in the fall. The program introduced students to the transfer process, provided tips on how to optimize their community college experience, and helped them explore potential majors and careers.