Puente History

Puente was founded in 1981 by the Co-Directors, Felix Galaviz and Patricia McGrath, at Chabot College in Hayward, California. The Project’s mission was to increase the number of Mexican-American/Latino students transferring to four-year colleges and universities. Since then, Puente has expanded to 57 community colleges and 36 high schools in California. The program is administered statewide by the University of California Office of the President. Puente is open to all students.


Outstanding Results

• Over 6,000 students have enrolled in the Puente community college program.
• Over 2,000 professionals donate more than 18,000 hours annually to Puente students.
• Community colleges with Puente programs transfer significantly more Latino students to the University of California than colleges without Puente.