The Middle College High School 2024 College Fair was a great success. Families, friends, and staff came out to support the freshmen as they presented their college boards. There was a special performance, treats were available, and the energy was amazing.
To set the mood before the college fair commenced, AVID 9 teacher, Jefte Diaz, and Musicians Unite performed “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC. Despite having barely any time to rehearse, they did an amazing job, and the crowd that gathered to watch the performance seemed to enjoy the show.
Senior Alejandra Leal didn’t want to miss this performance, so she came a few minutes before the expected time of the performance to not miss out on it.
“I was really excited to hear the band perform, especially when I heard it was going to be Mr. Diaz singing. It was an awesome performance and I’m glad I didn’t miss it,” Leal said.
When the performance ended, the freshmen immediately returned to their booths and gave their all to their presentations.
Ranging from Harvard University, California State University of Fullerton, Harvey Mudd College, and the University of California, Los Angeles, this marks the second year that MCHS has hosted this college fair. It is expected to become a valuable and enduring tradition.
But at MCHS, the college fair representatives are not from the colleges themselves— but the freshmen at MCHS.
College Fairs are booths in which plenty of admission representatives use to connect with potential students and provide information about their schools. The booths are usually gathered up all in one spot and can be hosted anywhere. This can help students learn more about their options and what best suits them.
Presenting to many individuals at once can be tough, but the freshmen have been preparing for this moment. They came professionally dressed to make an impression on the people who visited their tables to learn more about the colleges they researched.
Let’s break down what the students needed to add to their college presentation to turn it into the projects they are.
A physical trifold presentation is required, containing valid information about the student’s chosen schools. This should include reasons why the school is great, campus life, admission requirements, financial aid, notable alumni, and more. Mr. Diaz provided the freshman with a tri-fold to alleviate their stress about obtaining one.
The College Fair was held on the second floor of the Johnson Center at Santa Ana College from five to six o’clock. Freshmen were required to present and discuss the information with groups of people, making direct eye contact while presenting the information on the board. Although this wasn’t the first time MCHS has hosted this event, it would be the first time the freshmen encountered a large project with an audience.
It was challenging to maneuver through the crowded booths, with so many people at the college fair that some had to lean against the walls to avoid bumping into one another.
Freshmen Itzel Gonzalez, who was a representative of the University of Santa Barbara, and Gustavo Martinez, representative of New York University alongside Ariana Ruiz, shared their feelings on what the most challenging part of the college fair was.
“The most challenging part was not blanking out when being asked to speak in Spanish,” Gonzalez said.
Martinez’s and Ruiz’s NYU tri-fold not only consisted of the basic requirements but went above and beyond by creating a beautiful art clay piece on the Washington Square Park Arch– a monument built in 1895 at New York’s Washington Square Park.
“I would say building [the arch] was difficult because we failed twice and we had to rebuild it last minute,” Martinez said.
There were many more amazing trifolds made by the freshmen. They were given a month’s worth of time to research and complete their trifolds and it was evident that they used their time wisely.
Freshmen Kassandra and Alexa Prado dedicated their tri-fold to the University of California, Irvine where they had interesting facts about the school, thoughts about the school from current students, and a fun interactive activity game where the people who visited their booths had to pin the tail on the anteater, UCI’s school mascot.
The freshmen would like to give a well deserved shout out to Mr. Diaz. He guided them in making this project a reality. He provided them with various resources, including supplies and after-school tutoring for those who needed extra help with their tri-folds.
Overall, the freshmen put a lot of effort into their work, as evidenced by their well-prepared tri-folds and confident presentations. This project was a great opportunity for them to explore what colleges have to offer, especially since they will be applying to colleges themselves in a couple of years.
