SAUSD Superintendent Dr. Stefanie Phillips to Serve as Grand Marshal
(Santa Ana, CA)—It is never too early to plant the seed in the minds of children about the benefits of a college degree. Santa Ana College (SAC) continues to do just this with local youth at the 24th Annual KinderCaminata on Friday, March 24, from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Over 1,000 kindergarten students are set to participate in this year’s KinderCaminata to be held on the Santa Ana College campus.
Through hands-on demonstrations and exhibits, kindergarteners will be introduced to career opportunities that require a college education. As the students enter their educational journey, the primary goal of KinderCaminata is to open their eyes to the benefits of attending and graduating from college.
Twenty-seven career booths will introduce youngsters to a wide range of career choices from nursing to library science, public safety, fire safety, mathematics, and being a congressman. The Office of Congressman Lou Correa will host an interactive booth to teach children what a congressman does such as voting, sitting on committees, passing legislation, and holding town hall meetings. Latino Health Access will engage children in an entertaining activity while educating them about children’s rights and child abuse prevention. Orange County Animal Care will share information about careers with animals and encourage responsible pet ownership.
Santa Ana Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Stefanie Phillips will serve as the event’s grand marshal. She will lead the kindergartners in a “Sí, Se Puede” march from the career station area to the track for lunch and entertainment.
“Thanks to our partnership with Santa Ana College, we are able to expose our early learners to an exciting, enriching day full of learning and fun on a college campus that will hopefully leave a lasting impression and desire to attend college one day,” said Phillips.
KinderCaminata is traditionally held near or on the birth date of Cesar Chavez (March 31), the renowned United Farm Workers leader. During the event the kindergartners are given caps with Chavez’s motto, “Sí, se puede” (Yes, you can).
“KinderCaminata is such a special event,” said Dr. Linda Rose, Santa Ana College (SAC) president. “It is never too early to instill the value of education and show children that college is within their reach. Our local kindergarteners will grow up to be leaders in our community, and hopefully here at SAC. It is our job to make sure that they know their possibilities are endless.”
Founded in 1993, Galal Kernahan proposed the KinderCaminata concept to Los Amigos of Orange County, a service organization dedicated to enhancing the opportunities within the Latino community. KinderCaminata’s first year attracted 2,000 students from the Santa Ana Unified School Districts to Santa Ana College on March 31, 1994.
This year’s SAUSD participating elementary schools include Esqueda, Fremont, Hoover, King, Lincoln, Martin, Monroe, Taft, and Walker.
For more information about KinderCaminata, call SAC Office of School & Community Partnerships at (714) 564-6146 or email Daniel Marquez at marquez_daniel@sac.edu.
About Santa Ana College
Santa Ana College (SAC), which turned 100 years old in 2015, serves about 18,000 students each semester at its main campus in Santa Ana. The college prepares students for transfer to four-year institutions, provides invaluable workforce training, and customized training for business and industry. In addition, another 11,000 students are served through the college’s School of Continuing Education located at Centennial Education Center. Ranked as one of the nation’s top two-year colleges awarding associate degrees to Latino and Asian students, the college is also recognized throughout the state for its comprehensive workforce training programs for nurses, firefighters, law enforcement and other medical personnel. SAC is one of two comprehensive colleges under the auspices of the Rancho Santiago Community College District.
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