MESA Making Big Impact on Ukiah
Business, Community Leaders Hail Program's Success

Although small compared to many MESA programs, the Ukiah college and pre-college programs have built a local powerhouse of math and science education in Mendocino County since they were established in the early 1990s.
In a city of 16,000 people in a county of 86,000, MESA serves students at Ukiah and Fort Bragg high schools, Eagle Peak, Pomolita and Fort Bragg middle schools, and Mendocino College with an innovative mix of math/science education and industry and community support.

According to Mendocino College MESA Center Director Margaret Sanchez, many MESA students follow the educational pipeline from middle or high school to the MESA program at Mendocino College, where they have transferred to four-year universities and gone on to work as engineers and scientists at places like PG&E, Radio Shack, Retech Systems, and the U.S. Forest Service.

“MESA is recognized and embraced by the whole community in ways you might not find in larger places,” said Sanchez, whose program serves 91 students. “A lot of them complete their degrees and come back to work here, so people see the benefits in a tangible way.”

“MESA has had an incredible impact on our community,” said former MESA Schools Program director Antonio Lopez.

Since the establishment of the two programs (pre-college in 1991 and college in 1994), they have

- Produced jobs for the local economy.

- Provided a rigorous academic program and college-going culture for field workers and their families, helping send them to universities such as UC Berkeley and Brown.

- Cultivated four local educators—one of whom is a MESA adviser—to help meet California’s demand for new math/science teachers.

- Created a large tutoring program for middle and elementary schools.
“The success stories speak for themselves,” said MESA Industry Advisory Board member Susanne Zechiel, manager of facilities resources for a trio of Mendocino County wineries—including Fetzer Vineyards—that is the county’s largest private employer. “These kids are succeeding because of the MESA program.”

Every year she brings hundreds of middle school students through the winery to complement their math/science curriculum at Redwood Valley. “I tell them, “this is how we use algebra here every day – this is a practical application of how we use it in the real world,’” she said. “They learn that we really do use this stuff in life, and it gets them more interested and excited in learning.”

For high school students, the wineries provide speakers, judges, facilitators and other support for MESA Day engineering design competitions (in addition to pulling the MESA float in the annual parade). For community college students, there are job shadowing, internships, resume workshops and fundraiser support.

“I’ve been involved for 10 years and I will continue to do so to the end,” said Marty Lombardi, senior vice president of the Savings Bank of Mendocino County. “The way these kids and this program work are exceptional. We’ve given the MESA students a lot of jobs over the years. It’s a model program, a perfect blend between public and private sector participation.”

Lombardi saw merit in the program early on, but realized that despite working hard in their math and science classes, many MESA students didn’t have enough money for college. He and some friends and colleagues approached all the fruit growers at harvest time and convinced them to donate one dollar for every pound of fruit they harvested. They used the proceeds to start a scholarship program for MESA students. The scholarship continues today.

Lopez acknowledged the support of local business. “Our great success is our industry support,” he said. “Business leaders see the impact we are making through our tutoring program and our alumni taking jobs in the community. These are very powerful effects. MESA knows we are part of something bigger here.”

Community leaders also recognize the outstanding math/science education provided by MESA and have also taken an active role. The Community Foundation of Mendocino County has supported many MESA students with scholarships over the years.

“I think MESA is tremendous,” said Foundation Executive Director Susanne Norgard. “The support the students receive is really extraordinary, and it’s obviously so much more than a job for the director and advisers—they just do an outstanding job.”
Lombardi said that in his experience, MESA’s benefits extend well beyond Mendocino County. “It is one of California’s most valuable assets,” he said.

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