The Delta Connect Center hosted and organized Delta College’s annual College Night campus event held on Sept. 4.
College Night is the event where all community members, including high school students, Delta students and families, come to gather information regarding college student life with resources from more than 40 different universities.
Mayra Delaserda, student programs specialist and leading event coordinator, said that although the coordination process of College Night can be hectic sometimes, the result helps to ease nerves.
“Leading up to the event, the biggest fear is always if anybody is going to show up. When I see people walking around or going inside of Danner, and seeing it completely full, representatives letting me know ‘Hey, this is the greatest fair we have attended’ or ‘I had so many people come up to our table’ that brings great satisfaction. When we get that feedback it gives me the sense that we did our job. And yes we can always improve to meet the expectations of the community,” Delaserda said.
Delaserda also noted a growth in participation in recent years. Starting out with 500 after the pandemic, the event now averages to 1000 participants.
Scheduled for an approximate three-hour timeframe, attendees could experience varying presentations and speak with various programs affiliated with different schools and cities.
During the scheduled presentations, attendees received information about majors and careers, saving money, completing transfer requirements while earning an Associate’s Degree, and financial aid resources.
Koriiyne Takahashi, a third-year Middle College High School student, said she was very engaged with the college fair and that being given the opportunity to speak with college representatives sparked encouragement.
“It’s definitely helpful because we don’t have a lot of college reps around, and it’s hard to reach out. But it’s nice to be engaged with the university reps and actually get to learn more. It’s my first time here, so it’s definitely interesting just walking around and seeing schools from out of state, too,” Takahashi said.
Takahashi also said that even with good experiences with Delta College resources, she found College Night very beneficial in preparing for her journey to higher education.
Other informative presentations involved CSU, HBCU, and UC admission requirements, each held separately within the three Tony Finch, Campesino, and Dawn Mabalon Forums.
Alonzo Ramos, a second-year Delta student, said he was amazed by the interactive experience of the event and expressed his optimism in learning more about campus for his transfer plans.
“This event is really cool. I’m learning a lot more about school as a whole. I didn’t know about all the programs we had until now which is pretty cool. If someone comes here in their first year at Delta and they don’t know what to do, these programs are here to guide them and talk to them. I’m really looking forward to the CSU presentation so I can get some questions answered,” Ramos said.
Ramos also said that for all unsure first-year students, the college fair helped them see they have different avenues and that there is not just one linear path on how to do everything.
Among the students at the event, a shared experience was their meeting with representatives of their desired four-year institution.
The event invoked a new enthusiasm in students as they continued to converse with others to understand the transfer requirements better.
“Personally, I want to go to college and pursue higher education. I’ve been around a good bit talking to the different clubs and to UC Merced inside of Danner Hall. A little bit of everyone at this point. It’s given me a broader view to transferring,” Ramos said.
