From her very first day of classes at San Diego State University, Karine Mendez felt at home.

She knew the campus well because she had visited every year with classmates from Montgomery High School. Her teachers had promoted SDSU’s Compact for Success with the Sweetwater Union District high schools, including Montgomery, as a guaranteed path to admission for South Bay students.

Karine Mendez

In Karine’s eyes, the Compact was more than a path to college. It was a way out of the paycheck-to-paycheck life her parents and older brother lived. They’d never had the opportunity to attend college.  Karine was determined—her life would be different.
   
This fall, Karine and 746 other students from the Sweetwater high schools enrolled as first-time freshmen at SDSU. Of this group, 266 are Compact Scholars—young men and women whose admission to SDSU was guaranteed because they fulfilled the requirements of SDSU’s Compact for Success with the Sweetwater schools.

Innovative program

An innovative educational reform program, Compact for Success is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. In the last decade, the nationally-recognized program has helped create a college-going culture for Sweetwater students.

Students like SDSU junior Rosemary Meza. Attending college seemed like a long shot until she learned about Compact for Success.
 
“Because of the program, all of the requirements were right there in front of you every day and the teachers would talk about going to college and why it was important,” said Meza, a psychology students whose plans include obtaining a Ph.D. in neuropsychology and becoming a researcher and therapist.

Roadmap to college

Beginning as early as seventh grade, the Compact lays out educational “roadmaps” of college requirements for students and their parents. It also runs programs to enhance the college-prep curriculum at high schools in Sweetwater, one of the largest and most diverse districts in California.

Since the Compact was introduced 10 years ago, the number of Sweetwater students admitted to and enrolled at SDSU has more than doubled. At the same time, district students attending SDSU are more prepared for college-level classes than ever before.
 
In the next few years, the Compact for Success will become even more valuable to Sweetwater students as state budget cuts require the university to reduce the number of students accepted. Those who meet the Compact for Success benchmarks will be guaranteed admission, despite enrollment cuts.

A town/gown model
 
SDSU President Stephen L. Weber says the partnership is a model for how universities and communities can work together to enhance success and, consequently, access to higher education for large numbers of diverse students.

“We are so proud of the results the Compact for Success has had over the past decade,” Weber said. “Thousands of hardworking Sweetwater students are seeing their dreams of attending college become reality, thanks to the caring and dedication of faculty and staff at SDSU and in the Sweetwater Union High School District.”

On Oct. 24, a new group of seventh graders from the district will attend the annual campus visit introducing students to the university and the Compact for Success, which will officially be extended to the class of 2015.

Once Sweetwater students enroll at SDSU, the Compact doesn’t end. All Compact Scholars are eligible to participate in programs and activities that support their academic and social involvement on campus.

Scholarship opportunities

Many also receive scholarships supplied by the Sweetwater Education Foundation. In fact, several Compact Scholars receive full scholarships covering all of their educational expenses over four years of college. The foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to securing private donors, such as the Ellis Foundation and the Stensrud Foundation.

“We don’t just want to get these students in the door. We want to make sure they receive the support they need to give them the best possible chance to thrive and get their degree,” said Lou Murillo, director of the Compact for Success program.

For Meza, the program has kept her engaged in the university and on a path to success.  She now works as a Compact Advisor, mentoring students at her old middle school in the Sweetwater District to help them understand that a college education can be a reality for them too.

To read about the Compact for Success 7th Grade Visit to SDSU, click here.