Receiving special mention in the Congressional Record is no
small feat, but then again, Alfred R. Herrera makes no small moves
when it comes to student access, equity and social justice.
Congresswoman Hilda Solis, D-CA, placed Herrera, founder and
director of the Center for Community College Partnerships, into the
Congressional Record earlier this month. The center was established
in 2001 under the umbrella of Honors and Undergraduate Programs at
UCLA.
Solis acknowledged Herrera’s achievements in university
access and his role with the Leticia A. Network, a group of
educators devoted to providing educational opportunities for
undocumented students.
They assisted in the passage of California state initiative AB
540 in 2002. This law enables nonresident students who attend a
California high school for at least three years and graduate from
it to be exempt from paying nonresident fees.
“I met Alfred in 1976, and he has always worked tirelessly
for all underrepresented communities. He’s a great Hispanic
leader,” Solis said.
In April of 2003, Herrera was presented with a plaque from the
University of California Office of the President.
Herrera has been dedicated to transfer issues for over 20 years,
but mention by the UC president and in the Congressional Record
still astounds him.
“I am grateful to have been acknowledged for the work that
I, and many others, have done,” Herrera said.
“I hope this recognition inspires even more students to
strive for their potential,” he added.
Herrera’s heart is with transfer students, said Lester
Baron, a fourth-year psychobiology, gerontology and public health
student.
Baron met Herrera as a student at West L.A. College in Culver
City in the summer of 1999. Herrera became Baron’s friend and
introduced him to the center’s Summer Intensive Transfer
Experience.
Four years ago, Herrera created the SITE program to foster
partnerships between community colleges and universities. Baron
reaped the benefits of this program.
“I took part in the first SITE ever offered,” Baron
said.
SITE is an academic residential program during the summer, which
helps underrepresented students transfer to universities by
introducing them to university life, Herrera said. Students live
on-campus and meet faculty and staff.
Students attend simulated lectures, writing workshops and
discuss university-level academic skills. Perhaps most importantly,
Baron said, SITE students learn about UC transfer preparation and
meet admissions representatives from other UC campuses.
“SITE tells students with little prior knowledge about
university what they have to do and what classes they have to
take,” Baron said.
“The SITE people are kind of like guardian angels because
they help make your opportunities seem real and achievable,”
he added.
While some SITE participants specifically call Herrera
“the godfather of transfers,” he’s a genuine role
model in all ways, said Cynthia Ace, a fourth-year women’s
studies transfer student, also from West L.A. College.
“When I did SITE, I learned I had the abilities to do UC
work because Herrera and his staff affirmed that we could,”
she said.
“Without SITE, a UC seemed unimaginable,” she
added.
Herrera said he knows that transfer students are capable of
succeeding at the university level, citing that they do as well if
not better than students who start as freshmen.
“Unfortunately, community colleges are getting cut so
badly in the state budget “¦ when the majority of American
Indian, African American and Latino students who enroll in
higher education start at a community college,” Herrera
added.
More money is needed for transfer programs, according to
Herrera.
Herrera’s brain keeps turning, and his efforts have been
endless. There are five programs scheduled this summer, encouraging
students to pursue university educations.
“I also continue to work with the Leticia A. Network on AB
153, which will provide state financial aid for these students to
attend college,” Herrera said.
“I just want students to take action and get involved in
whatever their beliefs and passions are,” he added.
Achievements like Herrera’s not only turn students into
academic go-getters, they turn them into mentors as well.
“I’m no Alfred Herrera, but he has showed me how to
guide and direct others,” Baron said.
He coordinates the Student Transfer Outreach and Mentorship
Program. STOMP continues SITE’s work during the school
year.
“Alfred’s taught me how to give back and I want to
continue with outreach efforts like his after graduation in
whatever I do,” Baron said.
Ace seconds this sentiment.
“Alfred had me speak at a community college program in San
Francisco,” she said.
Ace said community college students are able to take on new
challenges in the academic arena, particularly with mentors like
Herrera and other transfers to give support.
“Like Alfred, we try to be there and available. His
actions show his caring,” Ace said.