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 educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior s ...

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

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. It is named after the conquistador

Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo ( pt, João Rodrigues Cabrilho; c. 1499 – January 3, 1543) was an Iberian maritime explorer best known for investigations of the West Coast of North America, undertaken on behalf of the Spanish Empire. He was the firs ...

and opened in 1959. Cabrillo College has an enrollment of about 12,000 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 Watsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, located in the Monterey Bay Area of the Central Coast of California. The population was 52,590 according to the 2020 census. Predominantly Latino and Democratic, Watsonville is a self- ...

. 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. In 2007, Cabrillo received a $2.5 million grant from the

Economic Development Administration The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides grants and technical assistance to economically distressed communities in order to generate new employment, help retain exist ...

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 may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

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 The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California system. Located on Monterey Bay, on the edge o ...

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) ...

, 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 Oladele Brendon Ayanbadejo (; born September 6, 1976) is a former American football linebacker and special teamer who played in Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons. He played college foot ...

, professional football player * Obafemi Ayanbadejo, professional football player *

Sherman Cocroft Sherman Carlos Cocroft (born August 29, 1961) is a retired American football defensive back. High school career Cocroft played high school football at Watsonville High School. College career Cocroft played college football at San José State Un ...

, professional football player * Denise Crosby, actress on the TV Series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' *

Mark Eichhorn Mark Anthony Eichhorn (born November 21, 1960) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher best known for his tenure with the Toronto Blue Jays in the late 1980s and the early 1990s when he often served as a middle reliever/set-up man for All-Star ...

, professional baseball player * Gary Goldman, animator for

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

and film director for

Sullivan Bluth Studios Don Bluth Entertainment (formerly Sullivan Bluth Studios) was an Irish-American animation studio established in 1979 by animator Don Bluth. Bluth and several colleagues, all of whom were former Disney animators, left Disney on September 13, 1979, ...

Sharon Jordan Sharon Jordan (born March 11, 1960) is an American actress. One of her notable roles is Irene the Concierge in the Disney Channel sitcom ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody''. Jordan also appeared as Irene in ''That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana' ...

, actress on the Disney Channel series ''

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' is an American sitcom created by Danny Kallis and Jim Geoghan. The series aired on Disney Channel from March 18, 2005, to September 1, 2008. The series was nominated for an Emmy Award three times and was a ...

'' * Dwight Lowery, professional football player *

Edmund Kemper Edmund Emil Kemper III (born December 18, 1948) is an American serial killer who murdered a total of 10 people, including a 15-year-old girl, as well as his own mother and her best friend, from May 1972 to April 1973, following his parole for m ...

, American serial killer, *

The Co-Ed Killer ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

Ethan Klein h3h3Productions is a YouTube channel hosted by Ethan Klein and Hila Klein, an Israeli-American husband-and-wife duo. The majority of their content consists of reaction videos and sketch comedy in which they satirize internet culture. The ''H3 ...

, online personality, co-star of h3h3Productions *

John Baker Saunders John Baker Saunders, Jr. (September 23, 1954 – January 15, 1999) was an American musician, known as a founding member and bassist for the American grunge rock supergroup Mad Season, as well as a member of The Walkabouts. Biography Saun ...

, 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 ...

'' *

Bruce McPherson Bruce A. McPherson (born January 7, 1944) is an American politician who served as the 30th California secretary of state from March 30, 2005, to January 7, 2007. He is currently a member of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. Early li ...

, 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 officeh ...

* Reggie Stephens, professional football player *

Walmer Martinez Walmer Osmar Gómez Martínez (born 17 August 1998) is a professional footballer who plays for USL Championship club Monterey Bay FC. Born in the United States, he represents the El Salvador national team. Early life Martinez was born in Santa ...

, 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 Educational institutions established in 1959 1959 establishments in California