Several dozen prospective students congregated at the Robert N. Chang Student Center before the campus tour at San Jose City College and were met with snacks, school supplies and games like cornhole and connect four.

The event, held on Saturday, March 25, offered potential Jaguars an opportunity to learn about different course options, clubs and other programs available at SJCC. Before the campus tour started, some parents of high school students in attendance checked in at one of the tents to be assigned a guide, while also speaking to SJCC coordinators about what the tour would entail.

Attendees were then guided to multiple buildings at SJCC such as the student center, M Center, Cesar E. Chavez Library, Theater, Castellino Fine Arts Center , Science Complex and multiple others.

The attendees ranged from potential first-year students who were being introduced to the basics of college. Others were returning students who wanted to continue their studies.

One prospective student on tour was Julio Gutierrez, 23, who said he was interested in attending college to obtain a diploma to help amplify his career. His sister is also a current student at SJCC.

“It looks better for you to have a certificate instead of just saying that you’re good at a certain field,” Gutierrez said.

Parent Frank Navarro, 67, said that although he did not attend college he was accompanying his daughter on her tours of potential colleges to attend in the fall. He said he considers these open house events as mandatory, because there might be courses offered that align with a student’s goals for their career.

Xiomara Matinez, the outreach recruitment coordinator at SJCC, felt similarly about the importance of college and the value of open houses.

“College is a gateway to a career,” Martinez said. “We have some certificates that are just one semester, we have some that are year-long depending on what they want to do. It’s [also] a way [for students] to earn more money.”