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Community partnership makes a big difference
Through MESA’s partnership with Resources for Indian Student Education, Inc. (RISE), over 90 percent of RISE-MESA students from this rural area were accepted to college last year. RISE, located in Alturas, sees a close alignment between MESA and its own vision to better the lives of American Indian youth. The RISE-MESA program serves 260 students in grades 7-12 in five schools spread over 100 miles in Alturas, Burney, Fall River and Surprise Valley. Twenty percent of the RISE-MESA students are American Indian. Modoc County has the highest percentage of single parents living below the poverty level in California. Sixty-nine percent of residents live in unincorporated areas with a mean household income of $27,962. Close to 70 percent of school-aged children qualify for free or reduced school lunch. Education, health, social and transportation services are limited. But RISE-MESA students are flourishing and going to college. The partnership began 13 years ago through a MESA collaborative program with American Indian education centers, including RISE. When budget cuts ended that program, RISE decided to remain affiliated with MESA and successfully transformed into a MESA School Program (MSP) center with a focus on local schools. “MSP complements the classroom teacher,” said RISE Director April Lea Go Forth. “Students receive direct assistance through tutors, participate in special activities, and home visits with parents.” “ MESA answers all our college questions,” said Sabino Bocanegra, an 11 th grader at Modoc High School in Alturas. “How to apply to college, how to get financial aid.” MESA has been a great motivator for college, said Carlos Wilson, a ninth grader at Fall River Junior-Senior High School in MacArthur. “It gives you something to strive for, more than just going to school.” MESA has proven so successful that the Modoc County Office of Education (MCOE) requested to be included in the partnership and has been instrumental in providing transportation and other scarce resources for RISE-MESA. MCOE’s support allowed students to attend the Regional MESA Day in San Jose in 2006 where RISE swept the Egg Drop competition, to the immense pride of the county. “We’ve also done well in the mousetrap, bridge and other competitions,” said Victoria Gardner, a tenth grader at Modoc High School in Alturas. She won first place in the local math competition that year. RISE reinforces leadership concepts with learning outside of the classroom. Native MESA students in RISE helped establish HAWK (Honoring Ancient Wisdom & Knowledge), a peer advocacy project with intergenerational approaches to health issues such as STD/HIV and unplanned teen pregnancy. HAWK students have spoken at numerous conferences and powwows. “I represented HAWK in Albuquerque,” said Phillip Moore, a 12 th grader at Union Mine High School in El Dorado. Last August HAWK students won first place in the Modoc County Fair with their prevention mural project. HAWK CD honoring teen choices for a healthy future was nominated last year for a Native American Music Award. Students attended the “Nammys” in Niagara Falls, New York in October 2007. Although the CD did not win, the student team presented during the awards and enjoyed a memorable event.
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Amidst the rugged Modoc County terrain in the northeasternmost corner of the state, MESA has partnered with a community organization to provide highly successful college-going opportunities to students while offering important additional activities for American Indian youth.