Mission:
The Puente Program was launched as a grassroots initiative to address the low rate of academic achievement prevalent among Mexican-American and Latino students. The Puente model responds to low-performing patterns with three components: rigorous language arts instruction, sustained academic counseling, and mentoring by members of the professional community.

Puente’s goals are to

• Increase the number of underrepresented students who enroll in four-year colleges and universities
• Enable underrepresented students to earn college degrees and return to the community as mentors and leaders
• Embrace a variety of social and cultural learning-styles to develop an environment that focuses on underrepresented student learning
• Improve college success and accessibility