News Release

KinderCaminata Provides Early Introduction to College and Career Choices

 

One Thousand Kindergarten Students to March on Santa Ana College on March 4

(Santa Ana, CA)—On Friday, March 4, KinderCaminata will introduce over 1,000 kindergartners from Santa Ana Unified School District to the campus at 17th and Bristol. From their arrival at 8:30 a.m. until their departure at 11:15 a.m., the enthusiastic youngsters wearing nametags indicating their dream careers will explore over 25 interactive career booths. Topics range from police services to firefighting, insurance jobs, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) careers, healthy food choices, and computer science.

In its 22nd year, KinderCaminata is traditionally held on or near March 31, the birthdate of the esteemed United Farm Workers founder, Cesar Chavez. Since it first began at Santa Ana College on March 31, 1994, the purpose has remained to introduce kindergarten children to career opportunities made possible through a college education. According to event organizers, the primary goal is to plant the seed of higher education as early as possible.

After the career fair, the youngsters will be led on a march through the Santa Ana College campus during which they will chant the motto “Sí, se puede” (Yes,you can). This year’s march will be led by the 2016 KinderCaminata Grand Marshal, Santa Ana College President Erlinda J. Martinez, Ed.D. Martinez, who has served as SAC president since March 2005, is set to retire in June 2016.

“Our goal is for these kids to see Santa Ana College as their college,” said Martinez. “We want them to recognize that going to college is within their reach and that it is their next step after high school graduation. Not only can they enroll in college, but they can also open doors to their dream careers. KinderCaminata has always been one of my favorite annual events at Santa Ana College. Seeing the wonder in these children’s eyes is priceless.”

This spring, KinderCaminata will take place at the following participating community colleges: Cypress, Fullerton and Santa Ana College (SAC). SAC’s KinderCaminata 2016 will feature a booth hosted by representatives from Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez’s 46th District Office, where kids will spin the “Congressional Wheel” for educational and informative questions to answer. The SAC Engineering Department will offer the students a hands-on opportunity to explore civil engineering by using a scope to measure land elevation, pulling a tape measure to measure horizontal distances, and experimenting with water buoyancy to understand how boats float. The Santa Ana Police Department, American Red Cross, State Farm Insurance, California Highway Patrol and many more supportive organizations will be joining in on the fun during KinderCaminata at Santa Ana College.

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. Visit www.sac.edu to learn more. For information about Santa Ana College’s Centennial, please visit www.sac.edu/100.

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Contact: Judy Iannaccone

Phone: (714) 480-7503

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