Thousands of students and parents attended the 2012 College Fair held at Bethel Korean Church in Irvine, CA on Saturday, Sept. 15.
Presented by McDonald’s, hosted by The Korea Daily and sponsored by Wilshire State Bank, the 2012 College Fair included college booths, keynote presentations, guest speeches and seminars.
“My reason for going to the College Fair was to see colleges and get some information,” student Minjae Shin said. “My favorite part was the UC seminar, it helped me get a approximate standards of how I should prepare for my future.”
The fair’s slogan, ‘Together, We’ll Continue Writing Your Success Story,” seems to have become a reality in many kids that day.
“The fair helped me to see my future better,” Shin said. “I wanted to be involved in several fields of study and I learned about different colleges with different fields. It really allowed me to aim for various fields in diverse colleges.”
Keynote presentations included appearances by Cornell University Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment Lee H. Melvin and Former UC Berkeley Admissions Reader Sandra Sargent. Inspirational guest speeches included YouTube sensation Victor Kim, Ford Motors Chief Engineer Joo Man Kim and UNICEF Community Representative Sarah Yun.
“I was really satisfied,” student Danielle Yuhan said. “[The fair] was great because there were some really inspirational speakers. I learned things I never knew before about colleges.”
With representatives and booths from 49 different U.S. colleges, from the Ivy League to the armed forces to art institutes, both students and parents were exposed to the wide range of college opportunities.
“I liked the college booths because I was able to get a glance at different colleges, even ones that I had never even thought about applying to,” Yuhan said. “Asking the college representatives my questions made me more optimistic.”
The college booths seem to have been an instant success, popular amongst both students as well as parents.
“My favorite part was going around the different college booths and learning more about colleges,” student Sally Ryu said. “The college fair really helped me by showing me the wide variety of colleges that are out there and informing me of them.”
Outside were the many stands including McDonald’s, Irvine Korean Parent’s Assn. and Flex College Prep.
“Kids and their parents in the Irvine and Orange County area seem to show high educational interest in learning more about colleges,” Irvine Korean Parent Assn. member Shaina Kim said. “I was so impressed seeing all the parents’ devotion in wanting to support their kids for their future.”
