They really made it tangible to me. Ninety percent of the state's underrepresented engineering baccalaureate recipients are MESA students. Thirty-one percent of MESA high school seniors are eligible for the University of California, a rate almost three times higher than the eligibility rate of all California high school seniors. MESA seniors from underrepresented groups are eligible for the University of California at a rate 10 times higher than their non-MESA counterparts. Most have little or no college experience in their families.
Many older students work to help support their families.
A good number come from low-performing schools. But the program has garnered an outstanding track record of successfully getting students interested, motivated and on track for college and technology degrees. MESA maintains high academic standards. It assumes that when motivated and challenged, students will succeed. For many students, MESA marks the first time that they have been taken seriously in the classroom.