Austin Community College is seeking mentors for Puente, a national award-winning program that helps educationally disadvantaged students enroll in and persist through college.

Mentors are needed to work with students at ACC’s Riverside and Hays campuses for the fall 2016 and spring 2017 semesters. Faculty and staff from other campuses can volunteer but would need to travel to those campuses to participate.

Puente (Spanish for “bridge”) is open to high school seniors and other incoming college students who enroll in a paired Developmental Writing/English Composition course and a student success course. In addition to one-on-one mentoring and academic coaching, students and their mentors take part in monthly group activities such as field trips and visits from guest speakers. Mentors typically spend about six to eight hours per semester with their student.

Alejandra Polcik, coordinator of Hispanic outreach projects and Puente coordinator, says mentors are critical to helping “Puentistas” — many who are first in their families to attend college — build the support networks that will guide them through their first year of college and beyond.

To learn more about being a Puente mentor, go to the Puente Mentor Handbook webpage and view the video below featuring Victor Sibaja-Molina, a media technology specialist and Puente mentor.

Contact Polcik at [email protected] or 512-223-7953 for more information.

Tags: Puente, Puente mentors, Puente Project