GONZALES — Gonzales Unified School District hosted its first district-wide College and Career Day on April 22 at Gonzales High School.
The inaugural event was open to students from all grade levels.
More than 55 colleges and career professionals were in attendance with students gaining valuable information regarding financial aid, admission requirements and education and career journeys during breakout sessions and speeches from individual presenters.
Gonzales High School Principal Jer Soriano was very pleased with how well it went and how the community responded to the first-time event.
“The first College and Career Day was very successful,” Soriano said. “It was great to see the Gonzales community come out and participate and interact in the festivities that included various guest speakers and representation from colleges and careers.”
Hartnell College President Michael Gutierrez was the keynote speaker. He announced that Gonzales High students would be the first in South Monterey County to be able to work on completing an Associate of Arts (AA) degree while finishing their high school requirements.
Soriano praised the local administrators that organized the College and Career Day, including Gutierrez and Monterey County Superintendent of Schools Deneen Guss, along with GUSD Superintendent Matilde Zamora.
“Michael Gutierrez was the keynote speaker and Deneen Guss took time to engage in the event,” Soriano said. “It was a collaborative effort by all members of the Gonzales Unified School District family, led by Zamora. It was truly the start of something big where dreams will happen.”
First steps towards a higher education lead to big ones that bring meaningful individual purpose to the reality of achievement and success.