San José City College welcomed more than 300 incoming students during its Spring ROAR Days orientation event, held April 15, 16, and 18 — a 53% jump from the 196 students who attended last spring.
The three-day event, designed to connect new Jaguars with campus resources and support services before the semester gets underway, saw its highest attendance in recent memory as students moved through orientation sessions, met with counselors, and explored a campus resource fair featuring participation from nine college departments and programs.
To meet demand, the Robert N. Chang Student Center extended its hours beyond the typical schedule, remaining open until 8:30 p.m. on weekday evenings and opening on Saturday — a first for the event. Services available during those extended hours included Counseling, Admissions & Records, Financial Aid, the Learning Resource Center, and the Welcome Desk.
Photos by Lilith Sanchez
Students at the resource fair had the opportunity to connect with representatives from Rising Scholars, Student Accessibility Services, Early Childhood Education, the Associated Student Government, EOP&S, CalWORKs, CARE, Sí Se Puede, LEAP, MESA, and the Reading department. Each student also received a folder packed with flyers and key information to help them navigate their first weeks at SJCC.
Counselors and a large team of staff volunteers were on hand throughout all three days to guide students, answer questions, and ensure the experience felt welcoming from the start.
The turnout reflects growing momentum in the college’s enrollment outreach efforts and signals a strong start to student engagement heading into the next academic term.
