Annual event draws hundreds of high schoolers to campus

  Arts+Culture   Health+Behavior  

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – (www.lasierra.edu) The group of high school seniors from Toronto, Canada journeyed the farthest of the 800 or so students to visit La Sierra University for its annual University Experience day on Nov. 5.

Approximately 800 academy and high school seniors swarmed La Sierra University for its annual University Experience day. (All photos by Natan Vigna)
Approximately 800 academy and high school seniors swarmed La Sierra University for its annual University Experience day. (All photos by Natan Vigna)
Academy seniors from Toronto, Ontario, Canada attend a University Experience chapel event.
Academy seniors from Toronto, Ontario, Canada attend a University Experience chapel event.
Academic departments set up booths on the campus mall in front of the library to offering program information to high school seniors.
Academic departments set up booths on the campus mall in front of the library to offering program information to high school seniors.
Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services Wayne Dunbar addresses a crowd of high schoolers attending University Experience.
Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services Wayne Dunbar addresses a crowd of high schoolers attending University Experience.
Film and television program reps explain the department's camera equipment during University Experience.
Film and television program reps explain the department's camera equipment during University Experience.
Academy and high school seniors enjoy a grand finale at the Alumni Pavilion for University Experience.
Academy and high school seniors enjoy a grand finale at the Alumni Pavilion for University Experience.

But the two-flight, nearly 2,500-mile journey to So Cal was worth it to the seasoned young travelers who this fall also toured a college in Canada and jetted to universities in Tennessee and Alabama. John Zabana, a senior at Crawford Adventist Academy in Toronto said he liked La Sierra University the best of the campuses he visited. “If I do get accepted, I will pray about it, and most likely make my way here,” he said.

His classmate, Marquis Kennedy added, “I love it here. It’s beautiful. It’s very open.” Kennedy plans to study international business and Zabana aims toward a career in finance.

The students from Crawford Adventist, whose bright blue uniform shirts were easily spotted in the sea of high school and academy students filling La Sierra’s campus mall, were among hundreds who arrived from regions far and near to meet with leaders of academic programs stationed at outdoor booths, and to participate in interactive games, fun activities and question-and-answer sessions.

The annual event is designed to introduce high schoolers to the experiences of college life, and specifically to La Sierra University.

“We had group leaders cover safety issues, what’s the food really like, the number of worships students are required to attend,” and other daily life topics, said Wayne Dunbar, associate vice president of Enrollment Services.

Sara Pinto da Silva, a La Sierra music student fielded questions from a group of high school students seated on the grass under a sprawling tree. She promoted the benefits of living in La Sierra’s dorms – “you have most of your time free to work out or to study” – and the social life at La Sierra. “There are tons of clubs and things to do,” she said.

Barrington Taylor, a senior from Los Angeles Adventist Academy with aspirations of becoming a director, talked with film and television professor Rodney Vance at the department’s booth. In front of the booth, faculty and university students set up a moving camera on a short track to display some of the equipment film and television students work with. “He presented the department well, and gave me ideas,” Taylor said of his interaction with Vance.

When asked his views of La Sierra University Taylor commented, “I think it’s cool. It’s a really nice school and I like the campus a lot.” 

Yesminn Sosa, a San Diego Adventist Academy senior interested in pre-physical therapy said the availability of campus events is high on her list of criteria when considering colleges. Sosa frequently heard La Sierra described as a “family-oriented campus. Campus life seems close,” she said.

Ximena Salinas, a Glendale Adventist Academy senior said two “very nice girls” gave her a tour of La Sierra’s Price Science Complex and explained classes she would need to take as a pre-med major. “It was very useful because I had a lot of questions. I was able to ask them, and they were able to answer,” she said.

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