TCOE | College Night

College Night is an opportunity for high school students and their parents to meet with representatives from approximately 80 colleges, universities and trade schools to learn more about their campuses and educational programs. Students can learn more about acceptance requirements, degree programs offered and other valuable information to get them prepared for the next steps in their future journey.

College representative talking to parent and student

Attendees will also have the option of attending informational breakout sessions on topics such as University of California and California State University admissions, financial aid, scholarship opportunities, and college and career planning.

The week of the event, students can download the Helpful Hints flyer which will aid them in asking the right questions when talking to the representatives at the event. Additionally, they will be able to download the College Night Planning Guide which is full of important information on planning for college in high school.

College representative talking to a student

2024 College Night Scholarship Winners

Huy Nguyen, Redwood High School, Visalia

Huy Nguyen will be attending UC Santa Barbara in the Fall and will be majoring in electrical engineering. Huy aspires to be a software or AI engineer working for a large company such as Amazon. Huy came to the US from Vietnam six years ago knowing very little English and, after being bullied because of his accent, decided to teach himself English through YouTube. He would like to give back to the community and serve as a mentor to others like him and make sure everyone feels understood and included.

Huy is an outstanding scholar with a 4.47 GPA, and community activist with many distinctions awarded for not only academics, but service and involvement in FBLA, yearbook, architecture & engineering academy, and the CA Scholarship Federation. He has interned at American Incorporated and The Clemmie Gill School of Science & Conservation as well as participated in the Jump Start program at College of the Sequoias where he gained experience in electrical engineering, which led to his interest in a possible career in coding.

Mariah Villarreal, Redwood High School, Visalia

Mariah Villarreal plans to attend CSU Fullerton and hopes to pursue her Masters or PhD in Psychology, focusing on working directly with children. Mariah loves working with animals, reading to kids and working with rotary. She hopes to come back to Tulare County and build a foundation and get the community involved after she finishes her degree. She credits College Night for preparing her for her future by providing her with information needed to succeed. Because of College Night she knew exactly what to do and how to get into her top choice college, as well as many others.

Mariah’s extensive list of activities gave the committee true insight into who she is as a person and what is truly important to her. Her dedication to her family and helping to raise her sibling taught her persistence and that it was ‘OK to not be OK’, which drove her to strive for more in her life. She is also passionate about wrestling, track, FBLA, and yearbook/photography journalism.

Event Details:

September 10, 2024

5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Visalia Convention Center, Visalia

Event Resources:

2023 Planning Guide

2023 Program

Event Preparation Tips

Event Contacts:

Paula Terrill

Student Event Coordinator

(559) 651-0565