Is tiny high school in one of California’s poorest cities the key to Fresno State’s future?

Orange Cove is nestled against the Sierra Nevada foothills east of Fresno and not far from Navelencia, which should provide a second solid hint as to what is growing in all of those groves just off the highway. Oranges. This corner of Fresno County and neighboring Tulare County produce a large portion of the state’s Navel and Valencia oranges, and many of the residents work in those groves and packing houses.

The high school in Orange Cove is just as prolific, and it has become an intriguing partner for Fresno State and its Bulldog Bound program, the university’s answer to sagging enrollment that was introduced last May.

High school students from participating school districts that meet California State University entrance requirements receive guaranteed admission to the university, as early as the ninth grade. Fresno State also provides students enrolled in the Bulldog Bound program with assistance in applying to college, early financial aid estimates and scholarship opportunities. They receive help with the exploration of academic majors and potential careers, dual enrollment opportunities and for qualified seniors on-the-spot admission. There is outreach to parents and guardians, with financial aid information and workshops on applying to colleges.

“The essence of the program is not so much the guarantee, the essence of the program is really what we put behind it for the school districts, the partnership,” associate vice president for strategic enrollment management Phong Yang said. “That’s how we approach the program, as something that could be life changing, not just letting students know they are guaranteed a spot, but also preparing them to be successful at Fresno State.”

At Orange Cove High, and in the Kings Canyon Unified School District, demand met supply.

Though 97.2% of Orange Cove students are considered socioeconomically disadvantaged in a city with the highest poverty rate in the state, 85.8% were deemed college-ready, according to the state department of education,

That was the third highest percentage in the San Joaquin Valley behind charter schools University High on the Fresno State campus and Reedley Middle College High, which, like Orange Cove and its 638 students, is in the Kings Canyon Unified School District.

The state average: just 44%.

Orange Cove students on college track

“When you come on to our campus, you can’t get away from what it is we want for our students,” Orange Cove principal Amanda Lopez Doerksen said.

“We just really believe that we should be providing our kids with an opportunity to have any option available when they graduate. They may come in not knowing what they want, but we’re going to make sure that they can attend college, so even if they don’t know early on, later on they have that opportunity.”

School administrators, teachers and staff at Orange Cove are intentional in preparing students for college. There are flags from universities across the country flying on campus. Orange Cove alumni who have graduated from college have their pictures in classroom windows, in cap and gown. There are banners highlighting the required pattern of courses for admission to California State University and University of California schools: Titans are A-G Ready, from A (history and social science), B (English), C (math), D (laboratory science), E (language other than English), F (visual and performing arts) and to G (college-preparatory elective).

It’s printed on T-shirts, too.

“When they come into high school as ninth graders, a lot of them don’t think that college could be a possibility, for whatever reason,” said Francisco Saenz, an academic counselor at Orange Cove and a Fresno State graduate.

“But we really hit them with, ‘It can be you. It can be you.’ We try to prepare them for the next four years to give them that opportunity. Whether they go, that’s up to them, but at least they have that door open. They don’t close it in their freshman year.”

Will it work for Fresno State, which, like the majority of schools in the 23-campus California State University system, is facing an enrollment crunch? Undergraduate enrollment across the system is at its lowest levels since 2014.

In its first year more than 8,000 students from around the valley signed up for the program, which takes on both sides of that enrollment equation, increasing the number of college-ready students graduating from area high schools and increasing the number of applicants and admissions to the university.

Kings Canyon Unified School District, with around 2,900 students in grades nine through 12 in four high schools, accounted for 1,016 of the students enrolled in the Bulldog Bound program, second most of any of the school districts in the valley that partnered with Fresno State.

Fresno Unified, which is more than five times the size of Kings Canyon, had 3,199.

Isaac Angulo, a senior at Orange Cove, said he was in from the start. The automatic acceptance, eliminating some doubt and providing a clear target, is a big deal.

“It takes a lot of stress away, thinking, ‘What college will I be able to get into?” Angulo said. “That guarantee, it gives you hope.”

Impact of program; guaranteed admission

“It gives you confidence, knowing a college is already thinking of you,” said Gabriela Sanchez, a junior at Orange Cove. “It changes your mindset. I’m going to be the first generation to graduate high school and go to college and doing that for my parents; it’s a big thing for me.”

Fresno State is expecting around 700 first-year Bulldog Bound participants to enroll in the fall semester; the first day of classes is Wednesday.

“Bulldog Bound represents Fresno State’s commitment to our entire region to develop and foster a college-going culture,” university president Saul Jimenez-Sandoval said.

“With synergistic partnerships with our local districts, we will ensure that every high school student has the resources, support and vision to be ‘Bulldog Bound.’ I have been overwhelmed with the enthusiastic response and support of our community, and am excited about the future that Bulldog Bound will forge in our valley of plenty.”

Yang sees it growing exponentially, across the valley. A sibling following a sibling through the program and to college.

“The response we’ve received really validates for me that we have a community here in the Central Valley that is very committed to the success of their students,” he said.

Fresno State has plans to introduce Bulldog Bound to middle school students, to raise awareness of what is available to students at a 4-year university and how to get there.

“The earlier the better,” Yang said. “The first year we targeted the high schools with our communication and the marketing team at Fresno State, we have some of the materials and the publications in different languages even. We have it in Spanish, in Hmong, in Punjabi as well as English, because we feel we have to go to the parents. Language for the parents should not be a barrier for them. It’s reaching the parents early on.

“We’re telling students, ‘We’re right next to you. We’ve got your back. If you want it, we’re here. We are your partner and we walk right alongside you. Yes, you do have to do the work. But we’re also going to work really hard to get you here.”

This story was originally published August 22, 2024 at 5:30 AM.