Universities and Community Partners
Come Together to Sponsor Fifth Annual
College Expo for Students and Parents

April 23, 2007

By Kim Sykes

Last year’s College Expo held at San Diego City College; this year’s Expo is being held at Point Loma Nazarene University in Point Loma.

A free College Expo will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on April 28 at the beautiful Point Loma Nazarene University located at 3900 Lomaland Drive in Point Loma. The event will be held outside along “Caf. Lane” the Cafeteria Walk overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the main quad area.  The College Expo is a collaborative effort between many of San Diego’s leading colleges, universities, educational organizations and community resource groups. The Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) at the University of California, San Diego, California Student Opportunity Access Program (Cal SOAP) and Point Loma Nazarene University are three of the main sponsors joining a host of other collaborators  to spread the message of “empowering parents and students.”

The Expo is a day of informational activities designed to educate parents and students on how to stay on track for higher education and to enhance knowledge about college admissions. The premise is to get parents and students together to offer practical advice, tips and information needed for students to meet admission standards at local schools and institutions farther a field. According to the event chairperson, Nicole Jackson, “This is another way for parents to learn about college, get involved and support their children.”

The Director of SEA Service Learning Initiatives at UCSD, Jackson is in charge of programs like developing online tutoring for the community. With a multi-disciplinary approach to student and parent outreach, Jackson is chairing the College Expo in order to further awareness.
    
The Expo is designed to be fun while providing necessary information. There’s live music and dancing performances complimentary breakfast, a kid zone, networking opportunities and an informal atmosphere with workshops repeated hourly throughout the morning.
    
There will be presentations on financial aid, college admissions standards, standardized test preparation, early academic preparation for college and more. The workshops are all geared toward parental outreach with an emphasis on support programs to connect parents with community resources for higher education. “Our goal was to get all the community education groups to come together and work collaboratively as a county in an effort to reach the parents” Jackson says.
    
The community resource and college fair areas of the Expo will provide parents and students opportunities to meet with representatives and collect information from San Diego’s premier colleges and community educational service groups. Representatives from UC, CSU, private and community colleges as well as community service organizations will be in attendance. For more information, contact Kim Sykes at 858-534-4250, kisykes@ucsd.edu, or visit the program Website at www.collegeexpo.com

Media Contact: Kim Sykes, 858-534-4250