The new META learning community (“Making Every Transfer Attainable”) at Madera Center provides participating students with accelerated writing instruction and academic counseling for two consecutive semesters. The program is meant to prepare students for a successful transfer to a four-year college or university.

There are many options for students who wish to transfer from SCCCD to a four-year institution, and there are resources to ensure the transition is as seamless as possible. However, for students unaware of the options, the transfer process can be challenging. With this in mind, in Fall 2009, the Madera Center began offering the new program to aid students in their journey through higher education.

“META counselors walk the students through every step needed to meet their educational goal.” – Monica Cuevas
Madera Center Dean of Students

The META program (“meta” is also the Spanish word for “goal”) consists of English 125 and Counseling 3A the first semester and English 1A and Counseling 3B the second semester. “The course content of this new learning community will have a Chicano/Latino emphasis,” said Monica Cuevas, dean of students for the Madera Center. “The main goal of the META program is to increase the number of Madera Center students who transfer to a four-year college or university.”

The benefits of the program go beyond the classroom, according to Cuevas. “Students benefit from the program by participating in extracurricular activities and fieldtrips that promote transfer opportunities,” she said. “Students also build a cohort that can serve as a supportive network.”

The cohort provides students with a sense of belonging, Cuevas said. The peer network they build offers support in both their academic and personal lives.  The instructors also provide consistency, Cuevas said: “Having an assigned META English instructor, Counseling 3A and 3B instructor, and counselor gives students the stability they need to build the foundation of their education.”

Often the difficulty for students doesn’t lie in unanswered questions, but rather in not knowing what questions to ask. According to Cuevas, META provides students with these questions and the answers. “The META program details the requirements needed to further their education,” she said. “META counselors walk the students through every step needed to meet their educational goal.”

“The true benefit,” she said, “will be seen in two years when students complete their transfer requirements and transfer.”

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