Program Benefits
- Specialized one-on-one counseling to prepare for transfer
- Puente counseling courses help students explore universities and career choices
- Read and write about Latino issues in Puente English classes
- Get support and advice from a Puente mentor
- Visit local universities and participate in educational field trips
- Get support from your fellow Puente students
From Our Students
It has been more than great to count on the support, guidance, and encouragement from someone like my mentor. Being paired up with a mentor for me was one of the best things about the Puente program. My mentor has helped me a ton. She has helped me meet people who have helped me explore my major in depth. At first, I didn't know how to socialize with a mentor, but as time went by it got easier. Having a mentor is an excellent tool to have because they have been in your shoes in some way, they can help you overcome problems, and advise you on your future.
Learning about the transfer process was really helpful for me specifically since I am the first generation to go to college and none of my relatives could help me out nor friends. I always hear stories of students who have taken classes that they didn't really need to transfer. Thanks to Luz Moreno (Puente counselor) I now have my education plan done and know what classes I need to take and which ones I don't.
Honestly coming into College of Marin I had very little knowledge of the transfer process and what it takes to transfer, so being in Puente helped me a lot. I now feel more comfortable when it comes to the transfer process and I'm very glad I'm in Puente because I learned a lot about college and what it really takes.
Going on Puente field trips and other campus events has been a wonderful experience; it has motivated me more. Each campus has a different environment and it is good to know how it feels and see yourself in one of those campuses.
The readings are motivational because you find out the struggles that Latinos face which is very similar to our struggles. The readings helped me become more aware of what is happening to our Latino culture in general. If we want to make a change in the world and help out Latinos and minority people, we have to learn what the problems are beforehand.
I will definitely never forget the stories we read last semester and how touching each one was. It really made an impact on me and made me want to push myself to get ahead. It became one of my motivations to be the change.
If I compared my writing from last year to this year I notice a tremendous difference. Puente English gave me the tools to create a well-structured essay, time management, and it helped me become more resourceful.