IGNACIO OCHOA

IGNACIO OCHOA

“'Finish in Four' is keeping me on track to graduate.”​

As a first-generation college student, California State University, Sacramento so​phomore Ignacio Ochoa didn't really know what his freshman class schedule should look like. Thankfully, at orientation he was introduced to “Finish in Four," a Sacramento State program that encourages freshmen to commit to taking at least 15 units a semester, which is linked to earning a degree sooner. 

In return for signing the pledge, students receive priority registration, grants for summer courses, advisement and other benefits. "Finish in Four" is one of the many programs that are part of the CSU's syst​​emwide Graduation Initiative 2025. All are critical to help meet​​ students' goals of graduating sooner. Ochoa also took advantage of Sacramento State's First Year Seminar and peer mentor program, which he says made him feel more welcome on campus. 

“The people wh​o helped me figure out my schedule at orientation said students tend to be more s​uccessful if they have a full workload, so I was drawn to that fact," Ochoa recalls. Now an orientation leader himself, the sociology major loves sharing firsthand his "Finish in Four" experience with incoming students.


Learn more about Ignacio's story and the CSU's Graduation Initiative 2025, which strives to increase graduation rates for all students while eliminating opportunity and achievement gaps, and then read Ignacio's story below.



Click one of the links below to check out more Graduation Initiative 2025 programs around the CSU that are supporting increased graduation rates and eliminating equity gaps.

STORY: MICHELLE MCCARTHY

PHOTOGRAPHY: Patrick Record and courtesy of ignacio Ochoa

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