Workshop Helps Dreamers’ Success

The Fresno City College Dream Center offered a workshop on April 7 at 9 a.m. that focused on programs that help out students who fall under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status that want to transfer to a university. The workshop was held in OAB 126.

This was the last workshop the Dream Center offered in the spring semester, but they are planning on having more workshops for the fall semester and encourage anyone seeking help to visit their office in the Student Services building room 108.

The first program that the workshop presented was the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services, or EOPS.

This program is state funded and helps out students with academic and personal counseling. EOPS also provides book vouchers, helps to pay for student ID cards and offers student loans.

After the students learned about the opportunities EOPS offered, students were introduced to the Puente program.

Puente is a program aimed to increase numbers of Hispanic students that transfer to four-year universities, but is also open to all students.

Puente’s availability is on a first-come first-serve basis, and they help with counseling, writing and mentoring; they also require a two semester commitment in the program.

Workshop organizers Wilfredo Games and Erika Ramos-Cano from the Dream Center were the last ones to talk in the presentation.

Games gave students the last presentation about the four components to be successful, and Ramos-Cano talked to the students about how the Dream Center is available to help them and for them to encourage other dreamer to attend the workshops.

“They provide good information on which programs to apply for, and also guide you in which steps to take,” student Onesimo Mijangos said about how helpful this type of workshops are for students like him.

“These workshops are helpful for Dream students to get information from the community,” said Ramos-Cano about how helpful these type of workshops are for students. She also commented that “we have a large number of dream students here on campus, and we want all of them to know that this is a safe place for them. We have a lot of information that can be helpful.”