Investing in the Future
Article originally posted by Trevor Stewart on February 12, 2018 in Education
UC Davis’ AvenueE Program Will Benefit Twice as Many Students in the Next 2 Years
Mechanical engineering student Eunbee Park ’19, computer science and engineering student Max Nedorezov ‘19 and civil engineering students Claudia Plascencia ’19 and Tadewos Getachew ’19 are just a few of the students at University of California, Davis, who have the chance to achieve their dreams thanks to the growing AvenueE program.
The program was developed in 2016 by UC Davis Office of the Provost and founding corporate partner, Chevron, in collaboration with the Koret Foundation, and the Los Rios, Peralta, San Joaquin Delta and Contra Costa Community College districts to provide a smooth transition from community college to UC Davis for students interested in engineering or computer science.
There are currently 26 students in the AvenueE program, but over the next two years the number of students will increase. There will be four cohorts, each totaling 30 students – 60 students will be enrolled at UC Davis, while 60 additional students will be in the program in the community college pipeline.
“AvenueE performs the critically important function of helping talented and motivated transfer students in STEM succeed and complete their undergraduate degree at UC Davis,” said Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter. “The program enhances the university’s ability to serve students from all backgrounds — and change lives. In addition, AvenueE students enrich our community with new perspectives and priorities.”
AvenueE helps high-potential, low-resource students achieve their dreams in growing, high-demand fields. First-generation college students make up 80 percent of the AvenueE 2017 cohort. Additionally, 50 percent of participants are from historically underrepresented groups, and 30 percent are female, with many students falling into two or more of these groups.
“There’s a very strong need for engineers to solve problems and create innovative solutions to address challenges in our society,” said Cynthia Murphy-Ortega, Chevron University Partnership Program manager. “The AvenueE program is one of the engineering pathways programs that Chevron is developing to support diversity and inclusion as well as inspire future engineers.”