Evergreen Valley College earns national Seal of Excelencia for serving Latino students
The East San Jose college says it is the first Bay Area community college to earn the certification.
Evergreen Valley College in East San Jose has earned the Seal of Excelencia, a national certification for colleges that show they are helping Latino students succeed, the college announced. It received the seal at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
The seal is given by Excelencia in Education, a national group focused on Latino student success. The college says it is only the ninth community college in the country to earn it, the fourth school in California and the first Bay Area community college. Fifty-five colleges and universities have earned the seal since 2018, ten of them for the first time this year, according to the college.
"Earning the Seal of Excelencia is a tremendous honor," said EVC President Vinicio López. He said it recognizes a college that "uses data, measures results, and intentionally improves student outcomes."
The college pointed to its Enlace program, in which 90% of students earned a degree over three years, and its First Year Experience program for new students, which is sponsored in part by the Sobrato Foundation.
Seal-certified schools make up 2% of colleges but graduate 18% of Latino students, the release says. Evergreen Valley College, at 3095 Yerba Buena Road, is part of the San José-Evergreen Community College District.