Center for Educational Partnerships
Orquídea Largo was raised in Crows Landing, California. She graduated from Orestimba High School and attended California State University, Fresno, where she received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. In 2001, she joined the UC Office of the President, Office of Relations with Schools and Colleges, based in Fresno, and now serves as the director for UC Merced's Center for Educational Partnerships (CEP).
CEP coordinates all student and school-centered outreach activities for UC Merced, including the UC Scholars Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP), School/University Partnerships P20 Initiative, Parent Empowerment Program, Talent Search Programs, Upward Bound Programs, Transfer Scholars Program, and the Data Analysis and Evaluation Unit.
The mission of CEP is to provide local schools with assistance in making long-term and systemic changes at their school sites to increase postsecondary eligibility and enrollment rates among all students. The center's goal is to provide student, school and parent-centered services that ultimately result in students having the greatest number of opportunities from the widest array of options upon graduation.
