Thriving in Academe

Masters of Their Own Destinies

A teacher prep program empowers at-risk students
By Clarence Romero, Riverside Community College

We promote an atmosphere in which every student can affirm with confidence, “I am relevant, and I have meaning.”

How do we design a program that allows for traditionally disfranchised students to take charge of their lives through systematic personal and professional development?

Latino Educators of Tomorrow (LET) is a teacher preparation program that provides academic guidance, support, and encouragement for undergraduate college students to pursue a career in teaching.

The program promotes access to postsecondary education for at-risk students who, for academic or financial reasons, are not granted direct admission to a four-year college.

Under the mentorship and guidance of the program director, students plan, coordinate, and carry out the program’s various activities under student leadership.

When LET students transfer from Riverside Community College to a four-year university, they’ve successfully passed the mandatory exam for teachers in California, two years ahead of schedule.

The program is founded on the notion that we must hold ourselves responsible for our existence, be accountable for the consequences of our behavior, and take charge of our futures.

Meet Clarence Romero
Clarence Romero is an associate professor of psychology and founder and director of the Latino Educators of Tomorrow Teacher Preparation Program (LET) at Riverside Community College in Riverside, California. In May 1998, he was conferred the Distinguished Faculty Lecturer by Riverside Community College. And the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) recognized Romero as the 2001 U.S. Outstanding Community College Professor of the Year. Romero can be contacted at Riverside Community College, 4800 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, CA, 92506 or via e-mail at cromero@rccd.cc.ca.us

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