By Mary O’KEEFE

On May 3 the community is invited to the Glendale Community College (GCC) open house. The first time GCC opened its doors for an open house was four years ago toward the end of the pandemic. The pandemic had affected GCC, like many colleges across the country, resulting in lower enrollment. It is beginning to rebuild enrollment, especially over the last two years, but it is still not quite to pre-pandemic levels. 

“[We want] to re-engage the community, to help bring people back onto our campus and bring the community [members] who has never been to our campus,” said Tzoler Oukayan, dean of Student Affairs. She added that open house events in the past have been successful in bringing more students to the campus.  

“You’re getting just as valuable, if not a better, education in the community college system for such a reasonable price – if not free,” Oukayan said. “And a majority of our students are not paying tuition.”

Many students in the state can receive free tuition if they meet the eligibility requirements of being a California resident, are a first-time/full time enrollment and demonstrate financial need through completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). (The best thing students can do if they have questions about tuition is to speak with their high school or college counselor.)

For those attending the GCC open house, it will be a time to see what the college has to offer. These include classes in the Verdugo Fire Academy and the Culinary Arts Dept., welding and theatre. The planetarium show will be shown all day and there is a poetry event in the school’s Learning Center as well as a wellness/fitness fair. 

There are also things for kids to do including playing in bounce houses and riding on a train around campus. There is also a rock climbing wall and a bungee (done with a partner) on Sartoris Field. And there will be plenty of food including free Habit burgers, churros, raspados, grilled corn and more. 

The school is offering tours of the campus so future students can discover the vast amount of learning opportunities at GCC.

The event is on May 3 at the campus at 1500 N. Verdugo Road. There is free parking in the GCC parking structure from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

For more information and to RSVP visit Glendale.edu/OpenHouse.