College of the Canyons celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement program on Tuesday, Nov. 25, with an event held in the Aliso Hall courtyard.

More than 80 students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members attended the celebration, which featured student testimonials and hands-on STEM activities.

The MESA program supports underrepresented, first-generation and financially disadvantaged calculus-based STEM students by providing academic advisement, discipline-specific enrichment and community-building opportunities to help them successfully transfer to four-year universities.

Launched in 2000 with 125 students, the MESA program at COC now serves 302 students.

“In the past 25 years, we’ve graduated and transferred more than 1,000 MESA students to UC and CSU campuses, as well as private institutions and Ivy League universities,” said Amy Foote, MESA program director. “We are very proud of our program, which is now the second largest in California.”

Foote, who also serves as president of the Community College Association of MESA Directors, helped author SB 444, legislation that enabled MESA programs to receive Title V state funding. In October 2025, the California Community Colleges Board of Governors approved action to codify MESA programs within the state’s Education Code.

“Having MESA codified in California’s Education Code is another safety net for so many students who slip through the cracks,” Foote said. “We are grateful to have grown our programs to 96 statewide.”

COC’s MESA program also created the MESA Skills Lab, which has since been adopted by 10 other programs in California. The lab builds foundational skills in engineering, physics, math, computer science, biology and chemistry.

“Students who complete the MESA Skills Lab receive a certificate of completion that enhances their résumé and strengthens the laboratory skills needed for future academic success,” Foote said.

COC Board Member and former counselor Edel Alonso also spoke at the event, reflecting on her years working with MESA students.

“One of the most memorable days of my career was when former MESA director Susan Crowther invited me to become the counselor for MESA students,” Alonso said. “My happiest memories at COC are the 14 years I spent in the MESA Center encouraging students as they planned for transfer and a satisfying career. The MESA program continues the critical work of fostering intellectual curiosity, problem-solving, hands-on skill building and peer learning. It is a testament to the power of caring and to the advantages of providing wraparound services to maximize student potential.”

For more information about the college’s MESA program, please visit www.canyons.edu/academics/mesa/index.php.

In the above photo MESA Program Director Amy Foote delivered welcoming remarks at the program’s 25th anniversary celebration on Nov. 25.