Cerritos Complete Named Top Five Finalist for the 2018 Excelencia Award

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FOR IMMEDIATEL RELEASE: August 13, 2018

Media Contact: Aya Abelon, Public Affairs; 562-653-7878

NORWALK, Calif. – August 13, 2018 – Cerritos College is one of five community colleges in the nation selected as a finalist for the 2018 Examples of Excelencia Award. Excelencia in Education is a national program that recognizes innovative evidence-based practices that accelerate Latino student success in higher education. Cerritos Complete is the College’s official California Promise Program.

“We are very honored to be recognized as a finalist for the Examples of Excelencia Award,” said Dr. Jose Fierro, president/superintendent, Cerritos College. “More than 70 percent of our students are Latino, and many of them are the first in their families to attend college. Often times, our students need additional resources and support to successfully transition through higher education to finish their goals. Cerritos Complete offers students more than just the promise of a free year of college, it provides students with critical, personalized support to help them complete a degree or certificate in less time.”

Cerritos Complete began as a pilot through the College’s K-16 Bridge program in 2015 with a cohort of 242 students. The program was officially established as the College’s California Promise Program in 2016 with more than 2,500 student participants from the College’s local high schools, to date. Cerritos Complete provides local high school students with a merit-based scholarship that covers tuition for one year. Program participants generally outperform non-participants in units completed, persistence, and completion of entry-level math and English, among other areas.

Cerritos Complete was also named as a finalist for the prestigious Bellwether Award earlier this year.

 

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