By Krystal Vera-Tudela—
On Wednesday October 16, 2019, members of the Student Government Association and the Phi Theta Kappa honor society hosted a career and transfer fair named “Commit, Complete, Transfer." The event was located in the PCCC gymnasium and theater from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. This event was open to all PCCC students and was available to help find resources and network with different representatives from four-year colleges and programs.
The purpose of this event was to help students learn about fully committing to college by picking majors and learning about potential job outlooks after graduating from four-year colleges.
Members of the SGA and PTK organizations, along with other student volunteers all wore red t-shirts with the catchphrase, “Begin with the end in mind.” These volunteers walked around the gymnasium looking to help students find seats and guide them to different areas to visit.
Although there were not many students that attended (about 30), the gymnasium was decorated and planned to accommodate about 100 students. It was filled with tables for students and volunteers to sit at, along with a food stand for any who have attended.
On tables, there were flyers about the event and maps of the campus so newer students could find their way through the PCCC Paterson campus.
Demi Matos, a computer science major here at PCCC helped volunteer for the event and said this about the event, “This event was focused to help all PCCC students. Unfortunately, many students did not attend. It is important that more students attend these kinds of events in order to find more resources and info for their futures. I wish that more students showed more interest.”
In the future, PTK and the SGA want to change this and create a more open and welcoming environment for PCCC students overall.
Along the sides of gymnasium were representatives from other colleges such as Montclair State University, Rutgers University, Ramapo College, Stockton University, Rider University, and New Jersey Institute of Technology.
On other sides of the gymnasium, representatives for different majors and career pathways welcomed students to ask them questions about their programs such as STEM, business, health sciences, education, humanities, human services, communications, and many more.
As music bounced from the walls, students and volunteers all networked with each other as well as the representatives eager to feed their interest. These stands helped students become informed about different future pathways after graduating community college.
Sitting at the tables were groups of students interacting and learning more about each other.
Dr. Steven Rose, president of Passaic County Community College spoke at the event and expressed his gratitude for all of the organizations and volunteers that helped put the event together.
Once Dr. Rose expressed his proud acknowledgment of the event, Professor Jennifer Gasparino, who is the advisor for the PTK honor society, spoke about the event. She expressed how proud she is of everyone that came together to bring the event to life.
After students and representatives were finished talking and discussing future plans, volunteers led students to the PCCC theater for videos covering students’ testimonials about PCCC and its clubs along with games for everyone to play.
As seats in the theater began to fill, the theater’s projector turned on and was ready to play the video that the SGA and PTK worked on together.
The video featured students in both organizations talking about their experience so far at PCCC and the clubs that they are involved in. Members such as the SGA president and PTK president discussed the positive aspects of joining clubs and how these clubs help students get a jumpstart towards their future careers.
As students appeared on the screen, the crowd clapped in support of their hard work on the video. These two organizations worked closely together and supported each other like a big family.
After the video, students were directed by volunteers to open the “Kahoot!” mobile application in order to play a trivia game and test students about the ins and outs of PCCC. Questions included “Where do you go to ask for assistance regarding financial aid?” and “How much is the average in-county tuition to attend PCCC?”
Students became competitive as they tried to answer the question correctly on a strict time limit. Although they took the trivial game seriously, smiles and laughs constantly erupted as they had fun playing together.
After two rounds of the trivial game, the event concluded as students got up from their seats and towards the theater doors. As they walked out, everyone received a reusable tote bag as a gift for participating in the event.
Jonathan Fana, a human services major here at PCCC, expressed his fond experience at the event. “The kids here were great and I volunteered at the event to be with my friends and have a good time.”