Are Latino students at Diablo Valley College who are in the Puente program more likely to go to graduate school then Latino students not in Puente? By asking this question I hope to discover whether there is a relationship between the academic Puente program at Diablo Valley College and the number of Latino students who transfer out and also go to graduate school. Puente was founded in 1981 at Chabot College. Its mission is to increase the number of educationally disadvantaged students who enroll in the four-year colleges and universities, earn college degrees, and return to the community as mentors and leaders of the future generations. Being Latina I have experienced many disadvantages in education. I am a first generation college student in my family and have struggled in school for many years. I have learned that I am not alone. Many of the Latino students in my community are faced with barriers through out their educational journeys. In the fall of 2009 I learned about the existence of Puente and decided to join. The program has had a great impact on me. I have been taught the skills needed to succeed in college and will be transferring to a four year university and plan to apply to graduate school as well. Before Puente I was not aware of the opportunities and resources that are available to help underrepresented students accomplish their goals. After experiencing what Puente has done for my self and many other individuals I have developed an interest in testing the relationship between the Puente program at DVC and the number of Latino students who go on to attend graduate school. Hypothesis Being part of the Puente program I have gathered both knowledge and experience on the success of the program. Puente provides three areas of service to students: teaching, counseling, and mentoring. I believe that the outcome of this experiment will demonstrate that if a Latino student at DVC is involved with the program then their chance of attending graduate school will increase. Literature Review Although there has not been any st