By Grethel Muralles
The school hosted the College and Career Fair on October 14 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The fair featured more than 100 colleges and universities as well as writing workshops.
“We had many of the UCs show up. California State University, Northridge showed up. A lot of private colleges and out of state schools were very popular. We also had some military personnel show up. There were also others who related more to the career side,” College and Career Office assistant Rita Bedoyan said.
In addition to the colleges present, there were various opportunities for students to earn money through writing contests. The winners received prizes like gift cards or other forms of financial aid. Once such event was the essay contest, in which the students had 30 minutes to write an essay.
During the fair there were also workshops for students to learn more about financial aid and other help they might need to get into college. For instance, Cash for College: FAFSA Application Help was a workshop where students received information on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and had the opportunity to receive help on how to fill in the application.
Many “students showed up with their parents and there were also a few middle schoolers that came by as well. Overall, it was a very successful event,” Bedoyan said.
Also at the fair, the Red Cross Club hosted a blood drive from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The blood drive was the first one held at the school since 2011. The students of the club worked hard to make the event happen and anticipated the results of the blood drive.
The blood drive was organized by seniors Leela Mohan, a Red Cross Intern and coordinator of the event, and Jeana Shin, vice president of the Red Cross Club.
“It was really rewarding and heart-warming to see how many people showed up to donate their blood to help others,” Shin said.
In fact, there were so many people who went to donate their blood that they had to turn some people away. By the end of the day, they had collected about thirty-five pints of blood. Due to the success of this blood drive they are planning on having another one next semester in the gym.
“We’re really hoping to have a bigger one, so we can have a bigger turnout and help a greater amount of people if it gets approved by administration,” Mohan said.
Saturday, October 14 turned out to be an eventful day for the students filled with college planning and aid and a blood drive.
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