San Diego Miramar College, pending SDCCD Board of Trustees approval, has been selected to join the Puente Project, a 45-year program supporting 76 California community colleges and growing.
The Puente Project is an award winning program founded in 1981 that helps underrepresented students transfer to four-year universities, earn degrees and return as community leaders.
Operating at California middle schools, high schools, and community colleges, it utilizes a "familia" (family) model combining English instruction, counseling, and mentorship to foster academic success.
Miramar College will now begin to recruit and prepare for a cohort of Puentistas for a fall 2026 start, as well as, begin introducing the program to the campus community.
“Joining the Puente Project is a goal we set for the college some time ago,” said Dr. Wes Lundburg, president of San Diego Miramar College. “Our College is built on reaching equitable outcomes for all students, and this program will allow us to provide better resources for an underrepresented student population to reach their education goals.”
The Puente Project mission is to increase the number of educationally underrepresented students who enroll in four-year 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, counseling and mentoring components.
Started in 1981 at Chabot Community College in Hayward, California, the program has since expanded to 7 middle schools, 36 high schools and 76 community colleges throughout the state. 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. Puente is open to all students.
English: Students enroll with the same PUENTE instructor for classes over one academic year which creates a supportive environment for students through the curriculum. The courses integrate Latino and other multicultural literature in combination with skill-appropriate scaffolding for texts that build in rhetorical and thematic complexity. Students are also provided with an opportunity to use mentors and their communities as a resource for writing and to develop their relationships with their mentors. The courses offer an environment that provide students with the support and motivation likely to enable them to transfer.
Counseling: The PUENTE counselor provides academic, personal, and career counseling to prepare students to transfer to a four-year college or university. To help build the educational support network necessary for the students’ success, the counselor also integrates the students’ families into the program.
The PUENTE counselor teaches a personal development (PD) class designed to enhance the students' college success. Relevant college and career success skills, information, and resources are available to assist each student in examining, planning, and setting her/his personal, academic, and career goals.
Mentoring: PUENTE mentors support the PUENTE counselor and English instructor by motivating PUENTE students to build the social and cultural capital they will need for their future success as college students and career professionals. All PUENTE mentors are trained to follow mentoring guidelines and serve as successful career role models to their student mentees.
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