Success Stories

Lindsay Hughes almost dropped out of high school. Now, Hughes, 24, a proud owner of a newly minted Associate Degree for Transfer diploma, is headed this fall to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo as a speech communications major -- and toward her dream of becoming an educator in charge of a college department.

Martinez, 23, graduated from Cerritos College in Norwalk this spring with an Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) degree in sociology and will continue her studies at California State University, Fullerton, this fall. But had it not been for a colorful logo on the Cerritos College Transfer Center’s Facebook page, the Montebello resident might not have learned about the innovative transfer pathway. She could have spent more time and money taking classes that didn’t get her any closer to transferring.

The 21-year-old from Duarte wanted to go to a prestigious private university but the costs were prohibitive. So Martinez, then an aspiring teacher, decided to attend Mt. San Antonio College instead. Fast forward three years: Martinez changed her major to communications studies, won a gold medal in a national forensics competition and is the proud holder of an Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) degree that will help her reach her higher education goals.

Joshua Miller considered himself to be a rebel in high school, sometimes dismissing the benefits of a college education. Miller, 21, chuckles at the recollection of his mindset just a few short years ago before enrolling at Sierra College in Rocklin. Now, Miller holds a valuable Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) degree and has been accepted as a junior to California State University, Sacramento, for the fall 2012 semester.

There was no future in those dead-end, minimum wage jobs that Paola Rios held while raising her young family. She knew that to reach her goal of becoming a counselor to special-needs children she would have to get a college education.

For Chris Walsh, finances had a lot to do with determining where he plans to get a bachelor’s degree. Some universities were out of reach financially for Walsh, but he knew that getting an education at a California State University was possible. The question then became what’s the best way to get there?