Students who are serious about their future and are looking to transfer to a four-year institution after their time at Los Medanos College should consider applying for the Transfer Academy. Funded by the Hispanic Serving Institutions Exito Grant, the purpose of the academy is to help students stay on track and meet their goals of getting out of LMC and into a good school. Whether your dream is to continue on at a state university or private college, help is provided through the academy.

“Being a full-time college student is a lot of work,” first-year Transfer Academy student Kallista Basa said. “The academy has given us a lot of opportunities to get extra help and meet with representatives from other schools though.”

The Transfer Academy is relatively new as this is only the third year it has been available to students. Leadership has also changed as Carla Rosas, the interim Director of Student Life and Transfer Programs, has been working closer to the program since mid-September. David Belman, who was recently appointed interim dean of Student Success, doesn’t work as closely to the academy as he used to under his old job.

“I really enjoy working with students,” Rosas said. “Thus far we have had 12 students transfer. Some of the colleges they have transferred to include Sacramento State, CSU-East Bay, and the Academy of Art. We are waiting to see numbers but are expecting a large number of students transferring after this year.”

Students also get to know Tara Sanders, the Transfer Center Coordinator. They work together to try to achieve the goal of getting in to a four-year college of their choice. This ultimately defines what the academy is about, but it is not the only measure of success according to program secretary Carminda Gutierrez.

“Success in the program can take many forms,” said Gutierrez. “A student that transfers to the college of their choice is a success. A student that learns how to navigate through LMC is a success. A student that is able to meet their educational goals due to the support they received from the academy is also a success.”

A unique thing about the academy is that it is family based, meaning a lot of the same students are in classes together. They are not only in a lot of the same classes as they get the chance to work in groups on campus with their academy peers because of certain schedules. Not all students take the exact same classes, as some members of the academy are qualified for different levels of math and English based on placement tests.

“Transferrable classes are blocked off for us,” Basa added. “It is a little different, but it keeps me on track and I know other students that can help me out.”

Each semester there are 80 spaces available spread over three sections for students who might want to be in the Transfer Academy. If you are interested in joining the Transfer Academy, please complete the application available on the Transfer Center web page at www.losmedanos.edu/