Programs offered on campus provide many resources to help students succeed in college. MESA is a program on campus designed to help math, engineering, and science majors do just that.

MESA stands for Math Engineering Science Achievement, and this program has been at EC for 10 years. This program helps out students with these majors by offering a study center for students to study, workshops, tutoring, mentoring, Academic advisement, career and transfer information, enrichment in math and science programs, summer research opportunities, conferences, networking opportunities, university representatives to come talk to students, special resources for financial aid students, employment opportunities by exposing students to math, engineering and science career options through people working in the industries, field trips, career fairs, and internship opportunities. The program also has two counselors that the students in the program can speak with directly according to the MESA brochure.

“The difference with this program is that students say that they are able to find everything they need here,” Arturo Hernandez, MESA Program Director said.

Scholarship opportunities are also available in the MESA program that the students in the program can apply for. There are two scholarships that the students can apply for which are the Rising-Sophomore scholarships that award students $12,500, which are for students that will be at EC for one more year, and the Transfer-Ready scholarship that awards students $10,500, and is for students that are getting ready to transfer.

“I went on a retreat to Santa Cruz through this program and it was really informative. I also got a scholarship,” Mario Gregory, 29, MESA and electrical engineering student said.

Students that are math, engineering, and science majors are encouraged to apply for MESA. They must have at least 7 units including at least one math or science class per semester. Students who wish to apply must also fill out a MESA screening form that asks the students’ information on their major, the classes that they are taking, and information on their transcripts. Students must also speak with a counselor to develop an educational plan which is required for the program according to Hernandez.

“I also interview students to make sure that they are eligible for the program,” Hernandez said.

Once a student is a member of the MESA program, there is no time limit as to how long they can stay in the program, unless they transfer.

“I require a maximum of three years for a student to be in the program, but I will give flexibility to a student as long as they show progress toward transferring,” Hernandez said.

MESA is located in the first floor of the math building right above the basement and in between the physics and chemistry building if a student wishes to go apply to be in the program.