The Bridge "Puente" Program

The Bridge (Puente) Program at HCC is a cohort modeled student success program that focuses on culturally relevant and culturally responsive practices that help to ensure a holistically reflective educational experience for students. It is based on the nationally recognized Puente Project.

The Puente Project is a nationally recognized student success model headquartered at UC Berkeley. The Puente Project leadership works to implement the program at middle schools, high schools and community colleges across the states of California, Texas, and Washington.

The Puente Project was founded in 1981 at Chabot College. The Project was launched as a grassroots initiative to address the low rate of academic achievement among Mexican American and Latino students. They discovered three key patterns among Latina/o/x students: 1) students were avoiding academic counseling, 2) students were not enrolling in college-level writing courses, and 3) students were the first in their families to attend college. The Puente Project model that emerged in response to these patterns is comprised of three components: 1) rigorous language arts instruction, 2) sustained academic counseling, and 3) community leadership development and mentoring.

Benefits for Bridge (Puente) Scholars

• Personal college and career advising from start to finish, with strategies for college success
• Placement in classes with a group of Bridge (Puente) students for a year
• Assignment of mentors
• Scholarship and special work study opportunities
• Participation in culturally enriched activities
• Hands-on active learning in classrooms with rigorously trained instructors and tutors

Videos about The Bridge (Puente) Program

• Overview of the Bridge (Puente) Program
• HCC Bridge (Puente) Student Testimonies
• The Bridge (Puente) Mentor Program

Any HCC student!

For more information, email us at hcc.thebridge@hccs.edu or

• Monday – Thursday 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
• Friday 9 – 10:30 a.m.

HCC offers the Bridge (Puente) Program at each College.

Bridge (Puente) Advisors:

Shantara Ardoin, Central Campus (CE)
713-718-6219
shantara.ardoin@hccs.edu

Luisa Rochez, Central Campus (CE)
713-718-6215
luisa.rochez@hccs.edu

Xochiatzin Reyna, Northline Campus (NE)
713.718.8307
xochiatzin.reyna1@hccs.edu

Dorothy East, Alief-Hayes Campus (NW)
713.718.6497
dorothy.east@hccs.edu

Syeda Sahar, Alief-Hayes Campus (NW)
713.718.6123
syeda.sahar@hccs.edu

Brittany Andrade, Eastside Campus (SE)
713.718.5240
brittany.andrade@hccs.edu

Maria Zamora, Eastside Campus (SE)
713.718.7088
maria.zamora@hccs.edu

Sabiha Mir, Missouri City Campus (SW)
713.718.7889
sabiha.mir@hccs.edu

Dr. Virginia Ramos, Stafford (SW)
713-718-7323
virginia.ramos@hccs.edu

As part of HCC’s Bridge (Puente) Program, students need to take two of the following classes during their first semester:

• ENGL 1301
• INRW 0300
• EDUC 1300
• HIST 1301, 2327, or 2381
• MATH 0314, 1314, 0332, or 1332
• ESOL 0349, 0350, 0351, 0352, 0353, 0354, 0355, or 0356

Students need to take two of the following classes during their second semester:

• ENGL 1302
• HIST 1301, 1302, 2328, 2382
• HUMA 1301
• ARTS 1301
• ESOL 0353, 0354, 0355, 0356, or 0370

Fall 2022 Bridge (Puente) Classes PDF or as a RTF

Noche de la Familia

• Family Day
• Family day video

How to get access to HCC laptop and WiFi:

On campus to get a laptop, you go to the library and show them your HCC Id card and from there they will give you a laptop for up to a month, if needed past a month take it back to the library go through the scanning process and they will allow you to take it again.

library.hccs.edu