As high school seniors are deciding on where they want to attend college, the LBCC High School Outreach team has given the seniors the opportunity to attend the annual Viking Preview day at the TTC campus with the first day being on Apr. 14 at LAC.
This event allows people to see what Long Beach City College has to offer, with booths where the incoming students were able to connect with clubs, student support services, financial aid, academic programs, and had the opportunity to talk to current students and professors on the TTC campus.
Director of High School Outreach and Educational Partnerships, LooLoo Amante Tupua, who has coordinated both Viking Preview day events, spoke about why this day is important for any incoming college freshmen.
“What’s really nice about Viking Preview day is that this is our big college wide open house. So incoming students and their families get to visit our campus and to really see what it’s like to be a college student here on our campus,” Tupua said.
Tupua also talked about what this event offers the students and their families
“So today, we’re offering campus tours. We offer a resource fair, half of academic fairs, half of the student services, you know, and of course free dinner. We also have a workshop known as finishing your LBCC enrollment steps and it helps students be on track for the Long Beach College Promise or the Viking Advantage because that’s a lot of our incoming students that are going to receive free tuition. This is also the first year we are doing the Viking Preview here at the TTC campus,” said Tupua.
Tupua also addressed the number of non-LBUSD students enrolling in LBCC, compared to the local LBUSD students, which has been a larger number in recent years.
“Our incoming class that applies to LBCC has been majority non-LBUSD students. You got kids applying from San Pedro, Torrance, Redondo, Bell, Downey, Los Alamitos, Cerritos, and Whittier, so they’re all coming here because the big thing that’s popular about LBCC is the pipeline to Cal State Long Beach,” said Tupua.
Joshua Sanchez, an Alliance Margaret Bloomfield High School senior from Huntington Park, spoke about the reason why he is going to attend LBCC after high school.
“I’ve noticed that this school is very motivating for me, like they give me a lot of opportunities into transferring to a four-year university, and it helps me focus on my major and understand it more, since they give so much advice and opinions, so it really helps me understand what I’m going to do with my life,” said Sanchez.
Kiara Santacruz, a Jordan High senior from Los Angeles, gave her thoughts on what she thinks about the campus and the city of Long Beach.
“I came here because I was very interested in the whole community of Long Beach, because it seems very beautiful. It’s near the beach and it’s very nice and it’s a very big campus. I think it is very fun to meet and interact with new people here. The majors here and the people are so nice,” said Santacruz.
