VIP’s Welcomed to SMC Campuses

The sun blazed down on another August day in Santa Monica, California. As the summer semester for Santa Monica College (SMC) drew to an end, the school readied itself for the fall with its annual VIP Welcome Day.

VIP Welcome Day gave incoming students a sneak peak into the programs offered by the school on Friday, August 23rd. Incoming students and parents co-mingled with faculty, in addition to current SMC students.

Incoming student Maya Hernandez said, “Everyone was really friendly if you ever needed help or anything and the other freshman I encountered were very nice.”

Cecilia Hernandez, Maya’s mother, added, “It was a very good welcoming. I found at the beginning I was overwhelmed but I think that is good because there is so much to offer here.”

SMC Superintendent and President Kathryn Jeffery personally addressed the attendees along with other members of the faculty. 2019 marked the first year that VIP Welcome day was extended to SMC’s Center for Media and Design (CMD) campus. 

“I walked in there and I was like, ‘oh my god,’” said Jaylin Young, an incoming first year student. When speaking about the broadcast studio, Young added, “this is the dream it’s right here in front of me.”  

While the crowd at Welcome Day was diverse, the excitement towards pursuing higher education was a common trend amongst incoming students. Rising freshman and El Camino Real Charter High School graduate Joshua Hernandez said he’s looking forward to “learning new things and new possibilities in life” the most.

SMC’s 2019 VIP Welcome Day brought many new faces to campus. Extending the event to CMD brought more attention and awareness to the school’s facilities. The only question left is, what will VIP Welcome Day 2020 hold in store for SMC?