Cerritos College named finalist twice for 2024 Excelencia Award
NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars and The Village honored for boosting Latinx student success
Cerritos College has been honored twice as a finalist for the 2024 Examples of Excelencia award for its successful STEM and housing support programs. The national recognition awarded by Excelencia in Education highlights innovative programs with evidence-based practices that accelerate Latinx student success in higher education. The college's NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars and The Village student housing project were selected in the associate-level category of the awards from a pool of 103 submissions from 20 states across the nation.
NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) program
Launched in 2019, the NCAS program at Cerritos College aims to advance students' STEM
skills and prepare them for STEM careers, with a special focus on increasing Latinx
representation in STEM. The one-year program is designed to boost transfer rates for
underrepresented students, enhance career success in STEM fields, and equip students
with skills for thriving in STEM careers. In 2023, the NCAS cohort had a 94 percent
Latinx, with participants achieving higher success rates in STEM courses, faster degree
completion, and greater transfer rates to four-year institutions than non-participants.
Read more about the outcomes of NCAS.
The Village student housing
Opened in 2020, The Village is California’s first community college housing program
exclusively for students facing homelessness. In addition to providing safe and secure
housing, students who live at The Village benefit from wraparound support services,
including comprehensive educational planning, financial literacy education, emergency
aid, food, clothing, hygiene items, legal assistance, and other essential resources
and services. Four years after its grand opening, data shows that the college’s efforts
to address students’ basic needs have led to higher success rates among its students.
Students living in The Village have higher GPAs, complete their programs faster, and
are more likely to transfer to four-year institutions compared to those not participating
in the housing programs. Read more about the impact of The Village.
“This national recognition of two of our programs is a testament to our efforts in increasing Latinx student success,” said Cerritos College President/Superintendent Dr. Jose Fierro. “Our NCAS program makes STEM fields accessible to underrepresented students, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to achieve their long-term goals. The Village addresses significant disparities in basic needs and insecurities experienced by a majority of our students. Our goal with these programs is to eliminate barriers to education and provide a pipeline to social advancement. We are prepared to expand these groundbreaking programs to better serve our students and our community.”
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