2019 Northern California Puente Transfer Conference Agenda

Chris Torres

Emcee

As a young teenager, my life changed dramatically when my grandparents split. I was angry that my grandfather left for La Barca, Jalisco, so I looked for an alternative familia and fell in love with the streets! I grew up in the Fruitridge/ Stockton Boulevard area of Sacramento, dropped out of high school at 17, had my first child at 18, and was not able to find sustainable employment due to my background and lack of education. In 2005, I showed up at Sacramento City College (SCC) as a 30-year-old with three children, low self-esteem, and desperate for a job. As I entered this intimidating new environment, I thought about how hard my grandparents worked. My grandfather came to the U.S. as a bracero in 1944; my grandmother worked the orchards, and these thoughts gave me motivation to push through my fears. Once I tapped into resources and support services such as tutoring, CalWorks, EOPS, Financial Aid, and mentoring, I was able to break the self-defeating belief system that I had developed. I went on to receive two Associate of Arts degrees at SCC, then transferred to Cal State Sacramento and obtained a Sociology degree with an emphasis in race and ethnic relations. I immediately went into my counseling graduate program and received my M.S. degree in fall 2015. My educational journey of nine and a half years was nothing short of a fantastic voyage and a great interpersonal growth period. I have enjoyed being a mentor for Puente for 11 years and now as a professional counselor/ professor, I am able to advocate for and assist disproportionately impacted populations. My work with Puente allows me to continue mentoring and guiding people from my community.