Cabrillo College is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

Aptos, California Aptos (Ohlone for "The People") is an unincorporated town in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The town is made up of several small villages, which together form Aptos: Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley, Aptos Village, Cabrillo, Seacliff, ...

. It is named after the conquistador

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo (; 1497 – January 3, 1543) was a Portuguese maritime explorer best known for investigations of the west coast of North America, undertaken on behalf of the Spanish Empire. He was the first European to explore presen ...

and opened in 1959. Cabrillo College has an enrollment of about 9,700 students per term.

Facilities

Classes are offered at two locations: the main campus in Aptos at 6500 Soquel Drive, and the Cabrillo College Watsonville Center, located at 318 Union Street in downtown Watsonville. Facility planning and major construction has been completed on campus for the Barbara Samper Student Activities Center, and the Cabrillo College Arts Education Complex as well as a Health & Wellness Center (Precision Wellness Center) at the Aptos campus. The main quad in Aptos features a bust honoring

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

In 2007, Cabrillo received a $2.5 million grant from the Economic Development Administration towards the construction of a new Industrial Technology Education Center (ITEC) in Watsonville on the site of the former Watsonville Public Library. Now called the Solari Green Technology Center, the center hosts classes in solar technology, renewable/recycled building materials, and construction management. The new building is LEED Platinum certified, the first for Cabrillo. In 2013, Cabrillo opened and dedicated the Baskin Engineering, Physics and Computing Center. The center serves as a focal point for

STEM Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...

classes, and also contains the Monterey Peninsula Foundation STEM Center, which is a central point for STEM student services such as workshops, tutoring and labs.

Academics

Many Cabrillo College students transfer (after 3–5 years) to three nearby universities: the University of California at Santa Cruz,

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the List of oldest schools in California, oldest public university on the West Coast of ...

, and California State University at Monterey Bay. Cabrillo ranked first in transfers to UC Santa Cruz according to Chancellor George Blumenthal in his address to the Cabrillo College Governing Board in November 2007 and as of 2020 was one of the top community college feeders to UCSC. Cabrillo offers hundreds of courses leading to four-year degrees in many majors. The majority of courses in the Cabrillo curriculum transfer to the University of California or the California State University systems. Cabrillo's career education is closely connected to the nearby Silicon Valley business environment as well as that of the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Cabrillo College offers programs that lead to skills certificates, certificates of achievement, and associate degrees. In addition, Cabrillo College offers basic skills courses and courses for business, professional and personal development. A variety of not-for-credit classes are available on a fee basis through the Cabrillo College Extension program. Cabrillo College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges. The library is named after the first president, Robert Swenson, who established Cabrillo and served for over 20 years as president.

Notable alumni

* Brendan Ayanbadejo, professional football player * Obafemi Ayanbadejo, professional football player * Sherman Cocroft, professional football player * Denise Crosby, actress on the TV Series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' * Mark Eichhorn, professional baseball player *

Gary Goldman Gary Wayne Goldman (born November 17, 1944) is an American film producer, director, animator An animator is an artist who creates images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequ ...

, animator for

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that produces animated feature films and short films for the Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a s ...

and film director for Sullivan Bluth Studios * Sharon Jordan, actress on the Disney Channel series '' The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' * Dwight Lowery, professional football player * Ethan Klein, online personality, co-star of h3h3Productions *

John Baker Saunders John Baker Saunders, Jr. (September 23, 1954 – January 15, 1999) was an An American Music Band, American musician, known as a founding member and bassist for the United States, American grunge rock supergroup Mad Season (band), Mad Season, as ...

, bassist for Mad Season * Camryn Manheim, Emmy Award-winning actress on the TV Series ''

The Practice ''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy i ...

'' * Bruce McPherson, former State Assemblyman and

Secretary of State of California The secretary of state of California is the chief clerk of the U.S. state of California, overseeing a department of 500 people. The secretary of state is elected for four year terms, like the state's other constitutional officers; the officeho ...

* Reggie Stephens, professional football player * Walmer Martinez, professional soccer player

References

External links

* {{Coord, 36.9883, N, 121.925, W, source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title California Community Colleges Aptos, California Universities and colleges in Santa Cruz County, California Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Universities and colleges established in 1959 1959 establishments in California Two-year colleges in the United States