The Bridge (Puente) Program

The Bridge (Puente) Program Banner

The Bridge (Puente) Program LogoHouston Community College’s (HCC) The Bridge (Puente) Program is structured based on a nationally recognized academic, counseling, and mentoring program of support model for students to build the skills necessary for success in both academic and career goals.

HCC’s The Bridge (Puente) Program is for all students. It allows you to take advantage of the benefits of working with and learning from classmates, faculty, and support staff within and outside of formal class activities. With these added boosts, you will excel and grow as you advance towards completing your degree or certificate program. The Program also helps in the development of interpersonal and leadership skills.

HCC’s The Bridge (Puente) Program offers cohort-based learning with students, faculty, and staff acting as a community of support. Bridge students take required classes together and enjoy a rigorous, challenging, and culturally responsive curriculum.

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About The Bridge (Puente) Program

What is The Bridge (Puente) Program?

The Bridge (Puente) Program at HCC is a cohort modeled student success program that focuses on culturally relevant and culturally responsive practices that help to ensure a holistically reflective educational experience for students. It is based on the nationally recognized Puente Project.

The Puente Project is a nationally recognized student success model headquartered at UC Berkeley. The Puente Project leadership works to implement the program at middle schools, high schools and community colleges across the states of California, Texas, and Washington.

The Puente Project was founded in 1981 at Chabot College. The Project was launched as a grassroots initiative to address the low rate of academic achievement among Mexican American and Latino students. They discovered three key patterns among Latina/o/x students: 1) students were avoiding academic counseling, 2) students were not enrolling in college-level writing courses, and 3) students were the first in their families to attend college. The Puente Project model that emerged in response to these patterns is comprised of three components: 1) rigorous language arts instruction, 2) sustained academic counseling, and 3) community leadership development and mentoring.

 

Benefits for Bridge (Puente) Scholars

  • Personal college and career advising from start to finish, with strategies for college success
  • Placement in classes with a group of Bridge (Puente) students for a year
  • Assignment of mentors
  • Scholarship and special work study opportunities
  • Participation in culturally enriched activities
  • Hands-on active learning in classrooms with rigorously trained instructors and tutors

 

Videos about The Bridge (Puente) Program

 

Who can sign-up to join the Program?

Any HCC student!

For more information, email us at hcc.thebridge@hccs.edu or 

  • Monday – Thursday 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
  • Friday 9 – 10:30 a.m.

 

Contacts and Locations

HCC offers the Bridge (Puente) Program at each College.

Bridge (Puente) Advisors:

Cheikh Beye, Central Campus (CE)
713-718-6106
cheikh.beye@hccs.edu

 

Jordan Dixon, Central Campus (CE)
713-718-7914
jordan.dixon@hccs.edu

 

Luisa Rochez, Central Campus (CE)
713-718-8311
luisa.rochez@hccs.edu

 

Patrice Terry, Central Campus (CE)
(713) 718-6586
patrice.terry@hccs.edu

 

Shantara Ardoin, Central Campus (CE)
713-718-6219
shantara.ardoin@hccs.edu

 

Xochicatzin Reyna, Northline Campus (NE)
(713) 718-8307
xochicatzin.reyna.1@hccs.edu

 

Ebunoluwa Ijiyera, Alief Hayes Campus (NW)
713-718-6497
ebunoluwa.ijiyera@hccs.edu

 

Syeda Sahar, Alief Hayes Campus and Online (NW)
713-718-6123
syeda.sahar@hccs.edu

 

Maria Zamora, Southeast Campus (SE)
713-718-7088
maria.zamora@hccs.edu

 

Sabrina Mir, Stafford (SW)
713-718-7889
sabiha.mir@hccs.edu

 

Dr. Virginia Ramos, Stafford (SW)
713-718-7323
virginia.ramos@hccs.edu

 

What classes will I need to take?

As part of HCC’s Bridge (Puente) Program, students need to take two of the following classes during their first semester:

  • ENGL 1301
  • INRW 0300
  • EDUC 1300
  • HIST 1301, 2327, or 2381
  • MATH 0314, 1314, 0332, or 1332
  • ESOL 0349, 0350, 0351, 0352, 0353, 0354, 0355, or 0356

 

Students need to take two of the following classes during their second semester:

  • ENGL 1302
  • HIST 1301, 1302, 2328, 2382
  • HUMA 1301
  • ARTS 1301
  • ESOL 0353, 0354, 0355, 0356, or 0370

 

Fall 2022 Bridge (Puente) Classes PDF or as a RTF

 

 

 

Additional Resources

SWOOP TO THE RESCUE:

What is swoop to the rescue?

It is an application that helps students within HCC with funds/ expenses. When the city is going through a crisis for example Hurricane Harvey many students lost their homes and clothes and (etc.) The Swoop application that takes no more than 2-3 minutes to fill out helped many students.

https://www.hccs.edu/applying-and-paying/financial-aid/emergency-help/

 

How to get access to HCC laptop and WiFi:

On campus to get a laptop, you go to the library and show them your HCC Id card and from there they will give you a laptop for up to a month, if needed past a month take it back to the library go through the scanning process and they will allow you to take it again.

https://library.hccs.edu/accessibility/laptops

As of getting access to WiFi, you’d go to HCC website as provided below:

https://www.hccs.edu/resources-for/current-students/communicable-diseases/resources-for-students/covid-19-student-device--wi-fi-deployment-options/

 

The Bridge (Puente) Program

For more information, email us at hcc.thebridge@hccs.edu

Dr. Samantha Rodriguez, Bridge (Puente) Program Co-Coordinator
(713) 718-7860
samantha.rodriguez@hccs.edu


Professor Syble Davis, Bridge (Puente) Program Co-Coordinator
(713) 718-6660
syble.davis@hccs.edu


Dr. Desmond Lewis, Associate Vice Chancellor, College Readiness and Instructional Services
(713) 718-5211
desmond.lewis@hccs.edu


Annie Tsui, Dean, College Readiness
(713) 718-8418
annie.tsui@hccs.edu