As part of a statewide program to bridge the digital divide, 70 Los Medanos College students in the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program received laptops earlier this month to help them succeed in their studies.

“Many of our students don’t have a computer at home,” said Barbara Cella, director of marketing and media design. “This program will be life-changing for them.”

The MESA program provides academic support for thousands of educationally and/or economically disadvantaged students so they can excel in math and science, transfer to four-year institutions as majors in math-based fields and graduate with baccalaureate degrees in science, engineering, computer science and other math-based fields.

The laptops were purchased through California Connects, which is funded by a $10.9 million Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration.