Alicia Cortez is now entering her fourth year as the Puente counselor and Co-coordinator of the program. She has helped make the Puente Project a great success at De Anza College. 

Alicia was born and raised in Eastside San Jose, along with her 13 siblings. Yes, “All from the same mother and father!” Coming from a farm worker familia, nothing has ever stopped Alicia from obtaining an education. As a young girl, Alicia recalls having to cut apricots, pick prunes and walnuts to help buy school clothes for the upcoming year.

After high school, Alicia was accepted to Saint Mary’s College with a full scholarship. Then, Alicia later attended UC Berkeley where she received her Masters in Social Welfare and later a Masters in History from San Jose State. In recognition of her leadership and success as a Puente coordinator, Alicia has been a featured presenter at a Puente Summer Institute and training seminar.

Alicia has made it possible for students to visit UCLA, UCSC, Berkeley, UC Riverside, and other prestigious universities, as well as the Shakespeare festival in Oregon.  Today, Alicia lives in Morgan Hill with her husband Armando and her two children and happily working with Puente and Student Success and Retention Services.