Hannah Esqueda, via The Business Journal, published a Sept. 30, 2015, article, “Community colleges unveil new student resources, tools,” promoting The Student Success Program and boosting student success rates.

Clovis Community College orientation assistants Natalie Minas and Naira Danielyan paid a visit to Fresno Christian, Sept. 21. The pair took time to talk to seniors interested in applying to community college in the upstairs computer lab.

Around a quarter of of FC’s seniors attend a community college after graduating, according to academic advisor Michelle Warkentin. The orientation assistants explained how Clovis Community can cater to students.

“Clovis Community is a good backup plan just in case higher level colleges don’t end up working out for students,” Danielyan said. “For transferring, students need 12-60 credits of general ed classes from Clovis to transfer into a CSU or a UC school. Classes are based off of the major students select.”

The orientation assistants allowed students to log on to cloviscenter.com to complete applications for not only Clovis Community, but for Fresno City, Madera Community, Reedley College and Oakhurst Center. After the application process, students complete an online orientation opening Dec. 3 to be assigned the first classes available.

For students that performed poorly in high school, Minas proved that the college would be a good fit. The only requirement to get into Clovis Community is to be 18; a high school degree is not a requirement. However, to apply for financial aid, students must be high school graduates.

Clovis Community is a good backup plan just in case higher level colleges don’t end up working out for students. For transferring, students need 12-60 credits of general ed classes from Clovis to transfer into a CSU or a UC school. Classes are based off of the major students select. — Naira Danielyan

Senior Kristina Muniz sees Clovis Community as a starting point for her college career before enrolling into a CSU. Muniz also sees the college as a good opportunity to discover which major she wants to study while earning her GED.

“I plan to attend 2 years at Clovis Community before transferring either to Fresno State or San Diego State,” Muniz said. “I want to get the feel of college before going straight into a state college. I expect my time there to be challenging and prepare me for my college experience.”

According to the assistants, thousands apply to Clovis Community per year. In some cases, students are put on waiting lists due to the vast majority of people applying to classes. They advised students to complete the orientation as close to the December 3 opening date as possible; the deadline for the orientation is April 11.

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For students wondering what Clovis Community can offer to them, Minas assured that they can support students in whatever their long-term goal is. While many students choose Clovis Community to stay for their Associate’s Degree, many others also transfer to 4-year institutions.

In case seniors missed the meeting, they can contact Michelle Warkentin at [email protected] or visit her in the upstairs academic office.

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @macyyvictoria and via email: Macy Mascarenas.