MESA Model Paying Off in Imperial Valley

Big things are happening in California's Imperial Valley, and MESA is a big part of them. Just ask high school junior Paulina Cisneros.

When she was a freshman two years ago at Calexico High School in the far southeastern corner of California, Paulina Cisneros had motivation and potential, but didn’t know how to channel her energy. “Being a math/science student wasn’t considered cool,” she said. “Even though I knew I liked those subjects, I didn’t know what I could use them for.”

Today, two years into the MESA program, Cisneros (now a junior), the highest-ranked student in her class, is involved with four extracurricular activities, tutors local middle school students, and has applied to a pre-college technology program at MIT. She hopes one day to attend UC Berkeley or UCLA.
“MESA is the reason I want to be an engineer; the program got me excited about studying math and science,” she said.

Cisneros’ story is emblematic of a collective effort underway to create a college-going culture in the Imperial Valley, a 5,000-square mile area bordered by Mexico and Arizona that is home to 160,000 residents, many of them recent immigrants living in poverty and attending some of the state’s lowest-performing schools. MESA, as part of a collaboration of concerned groups and individuals, is playing a critical role in shaping the effort, which is already showing remarkable results.

“MESA is really positioned to assume a leadership role because of our experience and expertise in math and science,” said Victor Torres, MESA Center Director at Imperial Valley. “This can benefit all the programs as we work to improve educational outcomes for Imperial Valley students.”

In 2000, Imperial Valley education, business and community leaders developed a plan to increase college participation rates. With the help of a host of state and federal programs, the College-Going Initiative involves students, educators, parents and school administrators.

Faced with a 45 percent failure rate in algebra classes, one of the first strategies the group decided to implement was a Summer Algebra Academy, fashioned after the MESA academy model, under the leadership of Blas Guerrero, Director of Regional Academic Initiatives and Educational Partnerships at the UC Office of the President.

“The entire program is based on the MESA model we used in Berkeley,” said Guerrero, a former longtime MESA Center Director at that campus. “I knew based on my experience with MESA that it would work.”

The MESA program was established in the Imperial Valley in 2002, with Torres hired as director. The program, administered through San Diego State University, quickly grew from a handful to several dozen students, and added components such as teacher training, parent involvement, and local business support.

This year, the MESA Day preliminaries drew 387 students (compared to 180 last year), as well as 26 teachers and 65 community volunteers. Of 70 Imperial Valley high school students who recently competed in the MESA Day Academy regional competition at California State University Fullerton, 30 won medals, shattering figures from the previous year, in which all Imperial Valley students—high school and middle school—won a total of 14 medals.

Torres’ own story fits the mold. The eldest of seven children of migrant farm workers from Mexico City, Torres worked different jobs over the years, including dishwasher, mechanic and field worker. Torres finally discovered a way out with school sports. At Brawley High School he played football, soccer, and track and field. His athletics helped get him into San Diego State University, where he took his bachelor’s degree with a double major (Business and Chicano Studies) and became the first in his family to go to college.

Since efforts began in 2001, Imperial Valley has

-Reduced the high school algebra failure rate from 45 to 12 percent.
-Expanded the Algebra Academy Program from one class at one school to 20 schools and 1,100 students.

-Increased college attendance rates nearly 50 percent, from eight to 12 percent, matching the state average.

-Boosted GPAs at Brawley High School (twice as many academy students achieved a 3.0 GPA or higher as did non-academy students).

-Won recognition as one of the state’s most outstanding programs by the California School Board Association.

Central to the effort’s success has been Imperial County Office of Education Superintendent John Anderson, who watched many students like Torres miss the opportunity of higher education over the years.

“The historical expectations for students weren’t always high, but that’s changing,” said Anderson, who helped set up the initiative’s infrastructure, funding base, and sustainability plans. “It’s changing because the community is working together to make it happen.”

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