GCC hosted its open house for students, both current and prospective, faculty, alumni, and members of the community to explore the various programs, activities, academic courses, and other features that make the campus special on May 14. The in-person event included live music from the music department, arts and crafts activities, games, and free food and refreshments for those who attended from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm. 

The event also housed over 50 departments and programs that introduced their fields of study to prospective and current students interested in exploring the majors and programs offered. With pamphlets, informational flyers, booklets, merchandise, and demonstrations, the departments helped answer student questions and informed the public about the types of courses available to students as well as the potential applications of their fields. Some student clubs were also present to show students what activities they could be involved in to enhance their college experience. 

“The intent was really to bring the community back, and by community I mean our faculty, our staff, our students,” said Dean of Student Affairs Tzoler Oukayan. Understanding that many students have never been on campus, Oukayan expressed that the open house worked to bring students back and was “really showing who we are, what we’re about, and how beautiful our campus is.”

When asked about her favorite part of the event, former ASGCC President and current GCC Student Support Specialist, Elise Dulay discussed how important it was to just see people in person again during the open house. “The goal of today’s open house is to reconnect the campus community and show off all of the amazing programs that have been online the past two years,” Dulay stated. 

First-year mechanical engineering student, Taylor Jazán, expressed that he especially enjoyed the tour, the live music, and being at the Language Arts booth during the event. 

Within three hours, the campus came to life with numerous students, faculty, and community members conversing, smiling, laughing, and reconnecting. “I love seeing my colleagues and meeting the new students that are coming. I’ve met so many graduating seniors that are here with their parents and families so it’s wonderful to introduce ourselves to tell them what they can go see,” Oukayan expressed. “I haven’t seen my colleagues in such a long time and so to interact with them outside of our regular work day on a weekend, this is great.”

“It’s the product of a lot of people’s hard work. It represents Glendale College at its best, which is when people are working together and engaging with students,” Dulay said when describing what the event means to her. 

“I was a student here, and this place made such a big difference. COVID really took a lot of that away from us,” Oukayan said. “And so to do open house, to bring back the community to our campus, to show all that’s developed, all that’s developing, all the amazing opportunities that we have is so important because this place has made a difference for so many of us, and we want to make sure that the community, our students, and prospective students know what we have here for them.” 

“There’s something really unique about this college, and it really touches a lot of people’s lives, and I wouldn’t be where I am had it not been for the people that I met here as a student,” Oukayan said. “We hope to do the same for the next generation.”

To learn more about the open house, visit:

https://www.glendale.edu/students/student-activities/student-affairs/open-house 

To learn more about the degrees offered at GCC, visit: 

https://www.glendale.edu/academics/degree-certificate-programs 

To learn more about GCC’s divisions and departments, visit:

https://www.glendale.edu/academics/academic-divisions 

To learn more about GCC’s clubs and organizations, visit:

https://www.glendale.edu/students/student-activities/clubs-organizations 

Jacqueline Kamei can be reached at [email protected].