EVC Earns Seal of Excelencia
EVC Earns National Honor
Evergreen Valley College became the ninth community college nationally to earn the
Seal of Excelencia at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, October 27.
The Seal recognizes continuous improvement in Latino and all students' outcomes through
a combination of data, best practices, and leadership.
"Earning the Seal of Excelencia is a tremendous honor for Evergreen Valley College. It shows that EVC uses data,
measures results, and intentionally improves student outcomes,” said EVC President
Vinicio López. “To be one of only nine community colleges in the nation—and the fourth
in California—to earn this distinction demonstrates the impact EVC is making for Latinx
and first-generation students, and the community of San José.”
EVC is also the fifth Bay Area school and first Bay Area community college to earn
the Seal.
President Lopez' acceptance speech.
“In addition, our students regularly transfer to fellow seal-certified universities
— San Jose State, UC Santa Cruz, Cal State East Bay and San Francisco State. This
demonstrates a Bay Area commitment to excellence for our students,” said López.
At the center of EVC’s ecosystem is its Enlace program, which saw 90 percent of its
students earn a degree over the last three years. EVC’s First Year Experience program,
sponsored in part by the Sobrato Foundation, began as a Latinx-focused pilot program
with wrap-around services for first-time students.
Since its establishment in 2018, 55 institutions have earned the Seal. Ten earned
the Seal for the first time in 2026.
The Seal’s criteria include enrollment of Latinx students, retention, graduation,
and transfer rates, as well as financial support and Latinx representation among the
College’s staff, faculty, and leadership. Although 55 Seal-certified institutions
represent 2 percent of colleges nationwide, they graduate 18 percent of Latinx students.
Getting students into the workforce is also important, as the Translation and Interpreting
program connects non-native speakers to services, while EVC’s Auto Tech and Nursing
programs are recognized as some of the top programs in the State.
Other benefactors have provided financial support for students such as its Bridge
to STEM and Scholars programs. In fact, 70 percent of its scholars transferred within
two years, including to UC Berkeley, Stanford, and UCSC.
Certification takes three years and is not guaranteed.
"EVC's Excelencia team worked diligently over the past three years to achieve this recognition, but
the Seal represents something even greater: our commitment to ensuring that students
receive an exceptional education, the support they need, and a strong foundation to
excel in the future.”
“Colleges and universities that earn the Seal of Excelencia are ensuring talent meets opportunity,” said Sarita Brown, Excelencia in Education Co-founder and President. “They have evolved beyond simply enrolling
to intentionally serving Latino, and all, students. That starts with knowing who they
serve and creating clear pathways for students to earn a degree. Collectively, Seal-certified
institutions model the change possible for higher education to expand access to excellence
for students to achieve their goals.”
Further details are available at evc.edu/excelencia.