SJVC-bound high school seniors enjoy introduction to Business, Medical and Technical programs

Thirty-five local high school seniors and their family members got their first close-up look at SJVC’s programs and soon-to-be fellow classmates during an April 1st Spring Break Mixer held at the Visalia campus.

This annual event was led by some members of SJVC’s Connect Crew, a group of 15 students who take a leadership role in introducing incoming high school graduates to their SJVC programs and campus resources. Most Connect Crew members are themselves fairly recent high school graduates.

Connect Crew member Elisa Perez started her Medical Assisting program right out of high school last year and could really relate to those students she was talking with during this event.

“I felt like this was a great event to give high schoolers an inside and outside glimpse of the campus,” says Elisa. “I was able to answer a lot of questions for them, and it was a great way to improve my communication skills.”

The two-hour lunchtime mixer introduced fun games that included a take-off on the “Amazing Race” TV show. Five teams of high school students and their families were challenged with earning clues through hands-on participation in Medical, Business and Technical program stations. Their challenges were both educational and a great way to explore career options for all participants. Program station activities included making dental impressions (Dental Assisting program), performing CPR on adult, child and infant mannequins (Respiratory Therapy program), and memorizing and reciting Miranda Rights (Criminal Justice: Corrections program).

First, Second and Third Place teams were given gift cards and other prizes for their efforts.

“The whole point was to have high schoolers interact with each other and to have a better sense of what they are going to do once they are in school here,” says Irma Arias, Medical Assisting program student and Connect Crew member. “The majority were shy, but they overcame that towards the end.”

SJVC’s High School Admission’s department conducts four major events for incoming high school graduates each year. The first event is held in the fall, the second around Christmas, the third during Spring Break (mixer), and the fourth is held as seniors are graduating and preparing to start their SJVC programs. The number of attendees increases as more students commit to continuing their education at San Joaquin Valley College and complete the enrollment process.

Events like the Spring Break Mixer help students to reaffirm their decision to come to SJVC to realize their career ambitions. High school seniors currently enrolled on the Visalia campus will start their programs on July 6th.

“High school students (at the Spring Mixer) asked what procedures go on in certain (program) rooms, such as injections and phlebotomy, and finding out made them more interested in their program,” says Christian Martinez, Clinical and Administrative Medical Assisting student.

SJVC students, staff and faculty make every effort to keep those high school seniors who have enrolled in programs engaged in and excited about the program they have chosen.

At least 75 attendees are expected at the upcoming June event. Many of those incoming students will also become the next ambassadors for the Visalia campus’s Connect Crew. They will get to become part of the student leadership that helped them to find their comfort level and strengthen their determination to succeed in the field they have chosen.