The Cerritos College gymnasium will become a hub of information and guidance for high school students on Wednesday 7 p.m., as they will meet with representatives from colleges and universities from across the nation.

The event, titled College Night, has been conducted by the Cerritos College for more than 20 years, and accommodates representatives from about 60 colleges and universities all under one roof.

Some of the higher education institutions that will be in attendance are instate institutions, such as UCs, CSUs, and also out of state institutions that include Rutgers University from New Jersey and Arizona State University.

“We invite high schools from Bellflower, Downey/Norwalk, La Mirada, Paramount and ABC school districts to participate in this event,” Shirley Arceo, Coordinator of School Relations, said.

Arceo, who has been coordinating this event since 1997 at Cerritos College, feels that it is an excellent opportunity for local high school students to meet with representatives of educational institutions from different states, and also to know more about Cerritos College.

Tina Campos, Director of College Career Center at Downey High School, said that Cerritos College Night is an endorsed event by administration, faculty and the entire staff at Downey High, and this is why it is so successful for them.

She further said that Downey High has been participating in the College Night since the conception of this program at Cerritos, with herself being part of it for five years.

“I’ve seen a steady growth in attendance and every year seems to be better than the year before,” she said.

She complimented Arceo for organizing such a smooth running event that is of benefit to students and parents alike, and also thanked Cerritos College for being such a wonderful partner in education.

“We host many college visits on our campus throughout the year, but the College Night (at Cerritos) host all of them in one spot, which makes it so convenient for everyone,” Campos said.

The College Night is planned under the Transfer Days/College Nights subcommittee that is a part of the Intersegmental Coordinating Committee.

ICC itself falls under the umbrella of California Education Round Table, a coordinating and planning agency compromised of representatives from educational sectors.

College Night is a statewide event that takes place at various high schools, community college and local educational institutions across California to inform students and parents about various higher education opportunities available all over the country.

According to Arceo, the College Night at Cerritos College is the only event of its kind that is held at such a large scale for the local school districts.

Representatives attending the event are welcomed by Cerritos College peer counselors and helped to their designated tables in the gym.

Monica Morales, a peer counselor for the department of Public Affairs at Cerritos College, said that she and other peer counselors are responsible to assist the representatives and make them comfortable during the event by offering them water and food.

She further said, “I have been working for the school relations for one year and I love being a peer counselor as I am able to help high school students to learn about higher education and how important attending college is.”

The higher educational institutions that attend the College Night are invited by the Transfer Days/College Nights subcommittee first, and then by the Cerritos College as well.

“They (Transfer Days/College Nights) act as a broker for us and invite colleges and universities for our event. In addition to that, I individually send out invitations to the educational institutions that are on our database, and I also get contacts from the transfer center,” Arceo said explaining the process of inviting educational institutes to attend the College Night at Cerritos.