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Student/Mentor
Matching Dinner a Huge Success!! On Thursday, September 20th, Puente students,
mentors, family, and friends gathered for the
annual Student/Mentor Matching dinner. This event
brings together students and mentors for their
first meeting as Mentor and Mentee. The Puente
Program recruits mentors from the community and the
college campus to mentor its students. This year's
event, however, was different. For the first time,
the students' families were invited to participate
in the event as Puente recognizes the importance of
the family to a student's success in college.
Students do not go through college alone. Their
success is also their family's success. "As a parent, I felt that the
Student/Mentor/Family Dinner was very motivating
for the students because the mentors and family
were all there to support the students. I think
that Jacquie, as the counselor, and Rachel, as the
English teacher, putting on these events for the
students really shows them that they care about
them and their success. It's very motivating for
them. I also think that the mentors are great! My
student was paired with a mentor who is a current
UC Berkeley student. I think she's great! Being
that she's still in the university, she could talk
to my son about what school is really like the way
I cannot. She also provides my son a perspective
that neither I, nor even a counselor, can give him.
She opens his eyes to a new horizon. Overall, I
felt the students really enjoyed it. They got to
meet each other's families - parents and siblings.
The event gave them an opportunity to mingle and
really get to know each other. Even after what
happened, once we got back in, the excitement was
great. Everyone was having a good time." --Tina
Vasquez Creating
Opportunities through College
Tours: As a transfer and retention program, Puente
prepares its students for the transition from the
community college to the "four-year" universities
by providing them with transfer and career
information through the Puente Seminar class and
through college tours. As it does every year, the
Puente Program will be taking its students to the
University of California at Davis on Friday,
October 12th. Students are taken on a college tour
and given admissions, financial aid, and EOPS
information. For many students, the college tours
provide their first exposure to the "four-year"
colleges and UC system. Whereas students may have
never considered transferring to a UC campus,
college tours open the students' eyes to the
transfer possibilities that lay ahead. The Skyline Puente Program, along with 20
other community college Puente Programs, will
converge at the University of California at Santa
Cruz, for its annual Student Transfer Motivational
Conference on Saturday, October 27th,. Each year,
over 300 Puentista's participate in this conference
which promises to motivate and empower. Students
are treated to workshops; meetings with UC rep's;
amazing keynote speakers; lunch; and the "5-minute
Explosion": a talent show put on by the
participating students. The message that students
are left with: Puentista's are welcomed at the
UC's! The student-run club continues to be very
active, and this past week they invited Piri Tomas,
author of Down These Mean Streets, to speak
on campus which was well attended and
inspirational. Puente Club also held a successful
Taco Sale during the day and hosted an evening
Salsa Dance! The Puente Club has given a voice, and
a face, to the Latino student on the Skyline
College campus. The goal of the Puente Club is to
promote Latino culture on campus, as well promote
community service and leadership. Contact info:
Student Services 650-738-4275. PAST: Where
did you grow up? Was your family a good example to
you? Did they give you advice to be happy and
successful in your future? Were you born here or in
another country? What's the biggest challenge for
you living here? Did you have any role models
growing up? What experiences caused drastic changes
in your life? What was your childhood like? What
were your cultural influences growing up and what
kind of person were you? Did you grow up in a
diverse environment? How would you describe your
relationship with your parents? Did you come from a
big family? PAST: What made
you decide to pursue the profession you are in
today? As you were growing up, did you know from
the beginning what you wanted to major in? What
made you decide on your major? Were you ever
confused what to major in? During your childhood,
did you face problems that affected you
academically? Did your family encourage you in your
studies? What did you study and where? What did you
do to realize your career? Were you a good student?
Did you like going to school? What were your
feelings toward education after high school? Who
were your main influences that lead you into your
present career? What struggles have you faced in
school? In job? PRESENT: How did
where you grew up influence who you are today? What
are your hobbies? Interests? What's your favorite
food? Do you have children? Pets? How do you
balance your life with family, friends, religion,
etc? Where are you in your life now? What is your
cultural background? How does your culture/race
affect you now and affect you as a person? Are you
fulfilled emotionally and with your family? What do
you think is the most important thing in your life
right now? PRESENT: Who are
you now as a professional and how did you get here?
Are you fulfilled in your career? Is it what you
thought it would be? How long have you been in your
profession? Do you enjoy and love your profession?
Are you presently taking any classes? Do you have
any unfulfilled academic goals? Are you happy with
your job? Overwhelmed ever? What is the hardest
part of your profession? What do you do to stay
current in your career? Are you at your peak or
would you like to climb higher in your
profession? FUTURE: Where do
you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? What haven't
you yet accomplished that you would like to? What
are your future projects? What is a dream that
you'd still like to accomplish? How do you hope to
grow as a person in the future? What is one
long-term goal of yours? What would you have to do
to make it happen? What changes might you make in
the future to become a stronger/better person? FUTURE: Do you
plan on continuing in this career until retirement?
Are there any other career paths you would like to
pursue? At what age do you plan to retire? What
would you like to do after retirement? In the
future, would you like to see your kids follow your
same career or educational path? What are some of
your short-term professional goals? What are some
of your long-term professional goals? |
