News this week of the college admissions scandal triggered a mix of emotions at East Los Angeles College where many students are the children of low-income Latino parents.
She and some of her East Los Angeles College classmates were selling sliced corn with mayonnaise, butter and cheese at $3 a cup to raise money for their club, Puente, a program that helps students transfer to four-year universities.to pay for trips to visit colleges across California, mentorship and group activities, and graduation caps and gowns.
“It’s very unfair because we work so hard to get an education,” said Miranda, a sociology major who’s hoping to get into UC Davis. “My mom could never say to any school, ‘Here, take this money and get my daughter in.’ Every day, we’re worried about paying our bills and putting food on the table.” Some of her East L.A. classmates, like Vanessa Bolaños, were angry at students whom they heard had not taken seriously the education that their parents had paid for. Others, like David Mejia, who was leading the group, were disappointed that such distinguished schools could get caught up in the scandal. UCLA was a place he’d idolized since he was 8 years old.
The Puente Project has served as a lifeline for hundreds of students at dozens of community colleges. The state-run program focuses on giving underrepresented students, mainly Latinos, resources to help them transition to a university. They pay for some college tour expenses, provide counseling and have created a statewide network of mentors to motivate students at annual leadership conferences.
Some days, they include their families in their activities. That way, they motivate their parents to learn about their college plans and also calm their nerves about common fears, such as uncertain finances and the possibility of moving away to attend college. When the club goes north to visit prestigious schools like UC Santa Barbara and UC Berkeley, his students are usually stunned by the lack of diversity. Some get off the bus and the first thing they say is: “Why is there nobody here that looks like me?”Centeno said the scandal hardly surprised him. In a system built on so much wealth and privilege, he wonders if any positive change will come from it.
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