On Wednesday, July 12, 2023, LACOE hosted the Migrant Education Program (MEP) Scholarship Awards ceremony. The event celebrated 15 students from across LACOE’s Region 10 area school districts: 

• ABC Unified School District 
• Alhambra Unified School District 
• Antelope Valley Union High School District 
• El Monte Union High School District 
• Hacienda La Puente Unified School District 
• Long Beach Unified School District 
• Los Angeles Unified School District 
• Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District 
• Rowland Unified School District 

The awards ceremony hosted the families of the 15 scholarship recipients, the Regional Parent Advisory Council as well as their district MEP administrators, recruiters, counselors and staff. Attendees received a warm welcome from Mr. Ruben Valles and Ms. Astrid Gallon-Gonzalez and an encouraging message of hope from former MEP student, former MEP scholarship recipient, recent Cal State Long Beach graduate and current LACOE MEP education specialist, Angel Rocha-Cienega. 

The scholarship recipients are pursuing degrees at the following schools: 

• Antelope Valley College 
• Cal Poly Pomona 
• Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 
• UC Berkley 
• UC Davis  
• UC Irvine 
• Cal State Fullerton 
• Cal State Long Beach 
• Cal State Los Angeles 
• UC San Diego 
• UC Santa Barbara 
• UC Santa Cruz 

"We are extremely proud of our 15 extraordinary Migrant Education Scholarship recipients for their tremendous hard work, determination and resilience. The success of these Migrant Ed. scholars is a symbol of hope and inspiration for our Migrant Ed. community. We congratulate not only the students but also the families and MEP staff who supported and guided them throughout their educational journey,”

said MEP project director, Dr. Mirna Miranda-Welsh. “We are grateful to all our educational partners who donated to the Greater LA Education Foundation to make these scholarships and this beautiful awards ceremony possible.” 

The Region and Statewide English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) Results 2021-22 Annual Performance Report measures indicate that the MEP programs and services offered to Region 10 MEP students by LACOE and their school districts positively impact their educational outcomes. Region 10 MEP students had the highest 4-Year Cohort graduation rate compared to MEP students from other counties, all students in Los Angeles County and statewide. Region 10 MEP students also outperformed all other MEP students across the state and the all-student group on the ELPAC.  

The LACOE Migrant Education Program (MEP) is a federally funded program that supports high-quality and comprehensive educational programs and services that address the unique educational needs of migratory children. LACOE administers the Region 10 California Migrant Education Program, supporting 22 districts that serve more than 4,900 students.