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One-stop shopping

In one night, students and their parents can visit some 100 colleges, universities and vocational programs without even leaving their hometown.
No, it isn’t some magical, time machine wonder that makes this mission possible — it’s the seventh annual Kern County College Night, 6 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 12 at the Rabobank Convention Center in downtown Bakersfield. The event is free and open to the public.
Representatives from various institutions of higher learning — public and private schools — will be on hand at the event designed to bring one-stop college shopping from booth to booth (many of them also hand out free trinkets), according to organizers.
“Everyone will be in one place, so it makes things very convenient,” said Christine Goedhart-Humphrey, student events coordinator for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools.
In addition to the college representatives, students and their parents will also have access to high school and college counselors/advisers, financial aid experts and information on scholarships — all within walking distance inside the Convention Center.
And if such convenience in any way helps makes that college connection happen for Kern County students, so be it, Goedhart-Humphrey said.
It’s all about removing barriers, she said. This includes language barriers.
In fact, College Night is being advertised in both English and Spanish promotional material, both on the KCSOS Web site and throughout other media outlets, according to Goedhart-Humphrey.
At the event itself, there will be informational sessions offered in Spanish — separate sessions, not just a translation of an English one, Goedhart-Humphrey said — as well as interpreters on hand to help guide Spanish-speaking families to the right places.
These liaisons will be former students in the KCSOS’ Migrant Education program, according to Salvador Avalos, coordinator for Migrant Education.
“We hope to expose as many Hispanic families to higher education as possible,” Avalos said. “A group of college students who are former Migrant Education students will be liaisons to help interpret for Spanish-speaking families and guide students and their parents at College Night — it’s a great way for our students to give back and help other students on their way to college, too.”
The bilingual element to College Night is a must-have, Goedhart-Humphrey said.
It reflects the significant Latino population in Kern County and the growing number of Hispanic students going on to higher education after high school, she added.
“We want to make the thought of going to college not just an option, but that it’s expected, to create a culture that makes college what you automatically move on to after high school,” Goedhart-Humphrey said.
For limited English or non-English speaking families, the bilingual sessions at College Night should alleviate some of the confusion associated with getting a child into college, especially the financial aid application process, she said.
“The information can be confusing to everyone, no matter what their language,” Goedhart-Humphrey said. “But for people with limited English or non-English speaking, the financial aid information really needs to be communicated in their native language.”
So, Spanish sessions will cover all the parent informational elements offered at College Night, she said.
“We want to make sure parents get everything they need to help their kids take that next step in their education,” Goedhart-Humphrey said.
KERN COUNTY COLLEGE NIGHT
6 to 9 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 12
Rabobank Convention Center
FREE, open to the public
Spanish sessions available at 6: 30 and 7:45 p.m.