Cal State L.A. collaboration with ELAC and LAUSD works to promote a college-going culture in East L.A.

Leaders from the GO East LA program, along with community partners and officials from the California State University system, will meet with legislators in Sacramento today, January 20, to talk about increasing college opportunities for underserved students as part of Community Partnerships Day.

“Great Outcomes East LA: A Pathway for College and Career Success” is a collaboration between Cal State L.A., East Los Angeles College and the Los Angeles Unified School District to promote higher educational success and career opportunities.

Program leaders will join officials from the California State University Chancellor’s Office and about a dozen CSU campuses to meet with legislators. They will share stories about student success that have been made possible through community collaborations with the 23 universities in the CSU system.

“GO East LA is a wonderful example of how large institutional organizations can work together to partner with students, parents and community organizations to give students the opportunity to succeed in their educational goals and careers,” said GO East LA Director Bianca Guzman.

The GO East LA initiative was developed by Cal State L.A. President William A. Covino, Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member Mónica García, and East L.A. College President Marvin Martinez.

The initiative aims to promote greater academic success for all East L.A. students by focusing on college awareness, preparation and completion, and career readiness. The program offers all Garfield High School students who meet minimum requirements for enrollment and transfer guaranteed admittance to Cal State L.A. Students from East L.A. College who meet the same requirements are also offered guaranteed admittance to Cal State L.A.

The GO East LA Sacramento delegation includes Jose Gomez, Cal State L.A. senior vice president and chief operating officer; Cal State L.A. Professor Bianca Guzman, director of GO East LA; Gilbert Martinez, Garfield High School assistant principal; Kimberly Murillo, a Garfield High School student; Olivia Murillo, mother of Kimberly Murillo; Angelita Moreno, Cal State L.A. student; and Cal State L.A. alumnus Willie Zuniga, president of Grifols, a global healthcare company that has provided scholarship money for the program.

This fall, a new group of 51 Garfield High graduates enrolled at Cal State L.A. With the support of campus programs, such as the Educational Opportunities Program and the First Year Experience program, these freshmen are receiving academic resources and social support to successfully transition into the university community.

Last year, the GO East LA leadership team visited 15 elementary schools and four middle schools in East Los Angeles to tell young children and their parents that it’s never too early to begin preparing for college.

GO East LA is just one of many successful initiatives that Cal State L.A. conducted in 2014 by working with outside institutions to make a positive change in East Los Angeles and beyond.

The CSU serves the most ethnically, economically and academically diverse student population in the nation and is committed to ensuring that students from all communities benefit from educational opportunities.  Each year the CSU awards more than half of the state’s undergraduate degrees earned by Latinos and nearly half of those earned by African Americans and Native Americans.

“Providing a high-quality education for the students of California is the mission of the California State University, and through collaboration with our many invaluable partners we can achieve this goal,” CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White said.  “By building long-lasting partnerships we are able to reach students in all communities throughout California and provide them with the life transforming opportunities that are made available through the achievement of higher education.”

Photo (front row, left to right): Garfield Principal Jose Huerta, East L.A. College President Marvin Martinez, Cal State  L.A. President William Covino, and LAUSD Board Member Mónica García during the GO East LA press announcement last May. (Photo credit: Cal State L.A.)

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Cal State L.A. is a university dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good. Founded in 1947, the University serves over 24,000 active students, and 235,000 distinguished alumni, who are as diverse as the city we serve. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, Cal State L.A. has long been recognized as an engine of economic and social mobility. Led by an award-winning faculty, the University offers nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and the humanities.

Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Fine Arts Complex, Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs, Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center, Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility, Billie Jean King Sports Complex, TV, Film and Media Center and the Center for Engagement, Service, and the Public Good. For more information, visit CalStateLA.edu, or like us at Facebook.com/CalStateLA. 

01/20/15