The Camino Nuevo Way | October 2017
Friends,

At Camino Nuevo Charter Academy, we work aggressively to ensure our students can compete in a globalized world. To level the playing field, we strive to provide all scholars the academic rigor, enrichment opportunities and support to excel and graduate from college. This month we share stories that show how our focus on equity is producing positive results. A national liberal arts college recognized Camino Nuevo and other charter networks for graduating students who are now thriving, and alumni shared with us their achievements. We are encouraged also by our current students who are taking advantage of internship opportunities and flourishing in after- school programs. One of them is the winner of a national artwork contest. Scroll down to read these stories.     

Dr. Ana Ponce
Chief Executive Officer 
Creating Choice-Filled Lives
We were thrilled to be recognized as one of the charter networks that is setting first-generation students on a path to college success. Over the years, several Camino Nuevo seniors have gained admission to Franklin and Marshall College, a selective liberal arts college in Pennsylvania, and one of the colleges that our students visit on the annual East Coast trip. Geovani Ibarra, a graduate of Camino Nuevo Dalzell Lance High School, is now working as an alumni admissions fellow at F&M after earning his degree there. Impressed by students like Geovani, F&M president Daniel Porterfield wrote an op-ed this month praising “the work of the visionary founders of our innovative and successful public charter schools who have made it possible for their graduates to forge ahead in college and chart a course for their own empowerment, economic self-sufficiency, and choice-filled lives.” Read the op-ed here . 
Above: Nelson Rivera (Dalzell Lance '16), Tatiana Orellana (Miramar '16), Omar Flores (Dalzell Lance '17)
Nearing the Finish Line
The transition to college is often difficult for first-generation, low-income students. But Camino Nuevo has a college success team that supports alumni through this transition – an innovative strategy that is making college graduation a reality for more students. This month our college success team visited alumni at six universities in northern California to ask how they were doing. Our counselors found students like Liliana Mendoza and Damaris Alvarez who are thriving academically and socially in their third year of college. Liliana is on track to graduate with a degree in business from Cal State Stanislaus. Damaris, who attends UC Merced where she founded a sorority and teaches an undergraduate course, is also optimistic about graduating on time. Our alumni team will visit alumni in the Central Coast next. Stay tuned for more alumni success stories.   
Student Interns Explore Careers, Create Change
Future politician and current Dalzell Lance senior Alicia Rivera is excited to change her peers' perspectives on voting through a fourth-month internship with  O.C.A.'s Civic Engagement Program . Along with 30 other high school students, Alicia is teaching her peers the importance of registering to vote. One of the program's current initiatives is to encourage young people to pre-register to vote, which can be done at age 16. What advice does Alicia have for students considering an internship? "Don't wait...take advantage of these resources and don't waste a great opportunity." Keep up the great work, Alicia!
Anxious to get a jump on his internship, 11th grade Miramar student Angel Ruiz joined the  A.C.E. Mentor Program  early in the school year to explore his interest in architecture and design. Every two weeks, a team of eager students and practicing industry professionals meet in downtown Los Angeles to interact and engage in hands-on building projects. Angel said, "It's great to meet students from other schools and make connections with the ACE mentors who might be able to offer me an internship or job one day. Plus they provide pizza at every meeting!"
Keeping the Lights on Afterschool
We are extremely proud of Angela Mamun, a senior at Camino Nuevo Miramar High School, whose artwork was chosen from hundreds of entries as the winning design for the 2017 Lights On Afterschool national poster. Lights On Afterschool is a project of the Afterschool Alliance, a group that partners with schools nationwide to offer afterschool programs. Like other Camino Nuevo students, Angela participates in the Youth Policy Institute (YPI) afterschool program, which runs an arts club and a club that focuses on volunteering and supporting local immigrant families. Through our partnerships with YPI and arc, our students also receive homework help, healthy snacks, and assortment of enrichment activities, providing our students an opportunity to explore their interests and take the lead on improving their communities. This month families and community members across our schools participated in the 18 th annual Lights On Afterschool rally where they celebrated our students’ talents and achievements. “I think to be a good student you have to be good in everything, or at least know how to do everything,” says Angela, describing her motivation for learning. Read more about her here . 
Families: More Opportunities for Kids, Not Obstacles
Hundreds of charter school families, including parents of Camino Nuevo students, came together at a state senate education hearing this month to call for changes to the charter renewal process. For Carlos Saravia, whose two children attend Camino Nuevo, the event was an opportunity to advocate for a parent’s right to choose the best school option. Speaking to a large crowd in Los Angeles, Mr. Saravia described the benefits of high-performing charter schools like Camino Nuevo that are providing opportunities for his kids. He also joined a chorus of other parents there who voiced support for a charter renewal process that is equitable and fair. “Education should be our main focus,”Mr. Saravia said. Learn about the changes that could improve the charter renewal process here .  
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Camino Nuevo Charter Academy | 3435 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 

Phone: (213) 417-3400 | Fax: (323) 663-3132 | www.caminonuevo.org