About Us

The San Diego State University Institute for Transformative Education (ITE) is a life-changing education organization. Founded in 1983 by our Principal Investigator and TRIO Programs Director Dr. Cynthia Park, ITE provides invaluable services to low-income and potential first-generation-college students. We also provide opportunities that allow undergraduate students to gain valuable career experience in their fields.

Cynthia Darché Park has a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Research. She is the Executive Director and founder of the Institute for Transformative Education (formerly the Pre-College Institute), which houses two Upward Bound programs, two Talent Search programs, a Health Careers Opportunity (HCO), and the Pathways to Careers in STEAM Education Service-learning Tutoring Program. Dr. Park also directs the HCO Undergraduate Research Summer Program and serves as the faculty advisor for the Faculty-Student Mentoring Program (F-SMP) where she mentors undergraduate students and works with her mentees through college graduation and into graduate or professional school. 

Dr. Park is a Professor of Teacher Education at the SDSU School of Teacher Education. She co-teaches the GEN-S 280 and the TE 362 service-learning courses. She believes that with the appropriate opportunities, services, and support systems, students can develop resourceful skills that will build their academic prospects. Dr. Park has received numerous local, regional, and national awards for her community engagement and service.

Who We Are

While ITE serves a large number of students and organizations, we are led by a Management Team that includes founder Dr. Cynthia Park. Together, they lead and nurture the work of dozens of staff members dedicated to creating transformative educational experiences for students.

We Believe

The Institute for Transformative Education is a collaborative organization that helps support students and their communities. Our work goes beyond our programs and services. Our programs, services, and innovative practices are grounded Social Capital Theory.

Working Together

ITE works with K-12 schools across San Diego as an early-outreach, college-access program. The institute also offers services through its partnerships with the Hoover Community Connection, College Avenue Compact, Sweetwater Compact for Success, the Division of Faculty Advancement and Student Success, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, the College of Engineering, the College of Health and Human Services, the College of Sciences, and the UCSD School of Medicine.

Our Pathways to Careers in STEAM maintains strong collaborative partnerships with the Office of Financial Aid and SDSU Budget Office that provide current SDSU students with Federal Work-Study funding through America Reads and America Counts to provide direct tutoring in partner K-12 classrooms. Tutors enroll in a service-learning course (TE 362, GEN S 280, ED 201) to develop a learning community that offers opportunities to apply course knowledge, reflect on their field experiences, practice transferable skills that deepen their knowledge and growth as individuals. ITE builds and bridges connections with school site administration teams and teachers to support student's educational journey.