On-Site Workshops Support Students
Seniors attended events hosted by community colleges to get help with applications.
By Sydney Teves
Seniors attended events hosted by community colleges to get help with applications.
By Sydney Teves
Community college is an option after high school that many overlook, but Pioneer has helped bring more awareness to those other options. From Feb. 2 to May 3, during FLEX in the library, representatives from local community colleges are hosting workshops and orientations to aid students in their application process.
San Jose City, Evergreen Valley, West Valley, Mission, De Anza, and Foothill are each visiting Pioneer twice for application and orientation workshops, with Mission College having another for course registration. The most recent workshop, an orientation workshop for SJCC, was held on March 16 where students opened their school portals, submitted and completed their applications for student support programs such as San Jose Promise and The SJCC Puente Project.
The Outreach & Recruitment Specialist at SJCC, Thong Vang, who presented at the application workshop on Feb. 2 and at the orientation workshop that followed, likes coming to Pioneer to share his knowledge with students so they can succeed once they graduate.
“I informed students about the admissions, enrollment and financial aid process. In addition, I covered potential academic majors and career education programs that students can pursue as a post-secondary education,” said Vang. “By providing support and services on-site at Pioneer, we bring resources to the school and inform students about the multiple education and career opportunities they have beyond high school.”
Since each of the workshops are hosted on campus during school hours, students do not need to dedicate their personal time outside of school to working on college applications. Destination College Advising Corps college counselor Gabriela Gonzàlez Gomez likes the convenience the workshops provide students.
“Anybody who is interested in community college can sign up for one of these workshops and we'll have representatives from each of them come here and guide them straight through the application,” said Gonzàlez Gomez. “It’s nice for students who don’t really know where to start, who don’t want to fill out the application by themselves, or who have questions while they're filling it out.”
Senior Alessia Laudani, whose plan for college is to attend a school in Italy, has a backup plan of going to a local community college and went to the West Valley workshop to complete the application process.
“They explained and guided us through things that people were confused about. It was nice to talk to people who have done this a thousand times,” said Laudani. “They were also there to tell us that we were doing it correctly so we didn’t doubt ourselves.”
The convenience of these workshops has been beneficial for students, especially those who do not have a lot of extra time outside of school. Senior Kai Swan finds that community college is the perfect option for her, and having the opportunity to fill out applications during school makes her goal a reality.
“I think it’s great because I procrastinate a lot and I feel like now is a good time to get it done, so I am grateful that the school is hosting these events,” said Swan. “One of the benefits is saving a lot of money and it's really good if you don't know exactly what you want to do yet.”
DCAC college counselor Justin Phillips, thinks that students need to be given these opportunities to further their passion and continue their education.
“It's important for students to have as many options and resources shared with them as possible because I think most of the students, if not all of them, have the ability to be successful but they just might not have the proper access to it. So the more we can share our resources and information, the more it could lead to a return on more students being successful in the future with whatever it may be,” said Phillips.
San Jose City, Evergreen Valley, West Valley, Mission, De Anza, and Foothill are each visiting Pioneer twice for application and orientation workshops, with Mission College having another for course registration. The most recent workshop, an orientation workshop for SJCC, was held on March 16 where students opened their school portals, submitted and completed their applications for student support programs such as San Jose Promise and The SJCC Puente Project.
The Outreach & Recruitment Specialist at SJCC, Thong Vang, who presented at the application workshop on Feb. 2 and at the orientation workshop that followed, likes coming to Pioneer to share his knowledge with students so they can succeed once they graduate.
“I informed students about the admissions, enrollment and financial aid process. In addition, I covered potential academic majors and career education programs that students can pursue as a post-secondary education,” said Vang. “By providing support and services on-site at Pioneer, we bring resources to the school and inform students about the multiple education and career opportunities they have beyond high school.”
Since each of the workshops are hosted on campus during school hours, students do not need to dedicate their personal time outside of school to working on college applications. Destination College Advising Corps college counselor Gabriela Gonzàlez Gomez likes the convenience the workshops provide students.
“Anybody who is interested in community college can sign up for one of these workshops and we'll have representatives from each of them come here and guide them straight through the application,” said Gonzàlez Gomez. “It’s nice for students who don’t really know where to start, who don’t want to fill out the application by themselves, or who have questions while they're filling it out.”
Senior Alessia Laudani, whose plan for college is to attend a school in Italy, has a backup plan of going to a local community college and went to the West Valley workshop to complete the application process.
“They explained and guided us through things that people were confused about. It was nice to talk to people who have done this a thousand times,” said Laudani. “They were also there to tell us that we were doing it correctly so we didn’t doubt ourselves.”
The convenience of these workshops has been beneficial for students, especially those who do not have a lot of extra time outside of school. Senior Kai Swan finds that community college is the perfect option for her, and having the opportunity to fill out applications during school makes her goal a reality.
“I think it’s great because I procrastinate a lot and I feel like now is a good time to get it done, so I am grateful that the school is hosting these events,” said Swan. “One of the benefits is saving a lot of money and it's really good if you don't know exactly what you want to do yet.”
DCAC college counselor Justin Phillips, thinks that students need to be given these opportunities to further their passion and continue their education.
“It's important for students to have as many options and resources shared with them as possible because I think most of the students, if not all of them, have the ability to be successful but they just might not have the proper access to it. So the more we can share our resources and information, the more it could lead to a return on more students being successful in the future with whatever it may be,” said Phillips.