CN/giselle palomera
By Kevin Camargo
Music playing from multiple speakers, carnival games going live, clubs hosting food fundraisers, busy informational booths and students and staff dressed in costumes to keep the Boom Festival energy high on Thursday.
The all-day Boom Festival gave students the opportunity to enroll into short-term classes and get more information about different academic departments, academic counseling, student services and clubs.
“It’s a benefit because, even if you’re not interested (in) enrolling in a class, you still get to talk to people,” said Lynn Wood, a student services assistant for outreach and recruitment.
“That interaction is important because then you might discover things that you didn’t know that you needed,” Wood said.
Wood said that she believes that the event was meant for students to get to know their school more, and hopes that students were encouraged to enroll into additional units.
“I think it (Boom Festival) is helpful information for students. I know the school wants to help us transfer faster, so I think it’s cool they threw this together,” said ELAC student Oscar Fuentes.
The event had student volunteers giving information about their clubs and managing the carnival game booths.
“People just go to the front (of the school) and talk to all the clubs, talk to enrollment, (to) see what (information) they can get. They get a ticket from (informational booths) and (students) come and try the carnival games,” said Christian Carreon, an Assessment Center proctor.
Carreon hopes that students got all the information they were looking for.
He also hopes that they signed up for the short-term classes because he says many students do not know about the opportunities that the short-term classes offer.
Rowena Smith-Kersaint, a student services specialist, said, “I would describe this event as a testament (of) our commitment to students.”
Smith-Kersaint, once a community college student, has a passion for community colleges and education.
“Everyone really seems to be engaging (and) having a good time. It lifts morale and it reminds people that we have a lot to celebrate and be grateful for,” said Smith-Kersaint. “It’s important for students to understand that we’re not just about academics. We’re about supporting (them).”
These events are a way for students to celebrate their accomplishments alongside the school and campus as a whole, said Smith-Kersaint
“It’s part of campus life. A lot of community colleges don’t really promote campus life, so this is something that gets everyone out, (gets) the whole community together (and is) something fun,” said Carreon.