Cerritos College’s commitment to meeting students where they are at once again earned national recognition from the League for Innovation in the Community College. The 2024-25 Innovation of the Year Award was presented to Assistant Director of Admissions and Records Laura Estrada, Interim Director of Educational Partnerships and Programs Sasha Leonardo, Assistant Director of Financial Aid Jamie Quiroz, and Counselor Dr. Clara Ross-Jones for their work launching the College Bound Buccaneers. In collaboration with Bellflower High School, this pilot program provides a direct pathway into Cerritos Complete, the college’s award-winning Promise Program.
Although Bellflower High School has a 97 percent graduation rate, only 25.5 percent of its seniors are ready to enroll in the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems. Cerritos College developed a full-year onboarding sequence embedded directly into seniors’ English and government classes to close that gap. This sequence covers key aspects of the college transition process, including career exploration, admissions, financial aid, student education planning, orientation, and enrollment labs, providing the bridge for what many consider a barrier to entering higher education.
The results were transformative. In previous years, approximately 100 Bellflower High School seniors enrolled in Cerritos Complete. This year, thanks to the College Bound Buccaneers pilot, that number surged to 267—a remarkable 240 percent increase in just one year. Now, more students are receiving free tuition, early class registration, and robust academic and counseling support – a proven model for student success. Our Cerritos Complete students graduate and transfer nearly twice the rate of other first-time college students. This structure guides our students through every critical step at Cerritos College and ensures our students stay on track to reach their academic and career goals.
“This program shows what’s possible when we remove barriers and increase access to higher education within our community,” said Dr. Jose L. Fierro, president/superintendent of Cerritos College. “By beginning the college onboarding process in high school, our team helps students see that college is not only possible, but they have everything they need to succeed. This program defines innovation with impact – increasing social and economic mobility for our community.”
The League for Innovation’s award recognizes programs demonstrating measurable outcomes, creativity, and the potential for replication. Cerritos College is actively looking to expand the program with other local high schools and act as a national model. This pilot program demonstrates that systems-level change is achievable when equity, collaboration, and community are prioritized.
Source: Press Release