Students shop for colleges of choice

Jeff Benson

Now armed with information and possible destinations in mind, juniors

and seniors from Newport-Mesa’s four high schools can filter their

options and begin sending out their college applications.

An estimated 1,500 students and their parents attended

Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s 23rd annual College Night

Wednesday at the Orange County Fairgrounds. The event was

co-sponsored by the Harbor Council PTA, who recruited the college

representatives and sent invitations to all high school students in

the district, Harbor Council PTA College Night Chairwoman Nadine

Turner said.

Among the attendees were representatives from 136 colleges,

including local community colleges and universities, schools in the

University of California and California State systems, trade and

military schools and out-of-state colleges.

Corona del Mar High School senior Sara Salam, 16, said she went to

check out the journalism programs at Washington University in St.

Louis and at Stanford University.

“I’m just here to look around,” she said. “There are so many good

schools. I’ve been wanting to go to Stanford for a long time, so it’s

still an option.”

Sara attended the College Night with her mother, Janelle, and her

15-year-old sister, Jessica, who was there a year early to get

information from USC and UC Riverside.

“We’re just looking at all the schools,” Janelle Salam said. “Now

Sara pretty much has to decide where she’d like to go. She’s got good

grades, and she wants to get into a good university.”

Barry Barowitz, Newport-Mesa’s director of secondary curriculum,

said he had nothing but praise for the college representatives who

attended and for the Harbor Council PTA.

“It’s really a positive that students and parents get this

information early on,” Barowitz said. “The goal is to get the

information out as early as possible. It sends a strong message to

the students and parents that college is a high priority for the

schools and for the district.”

* JEFF BENSON covers education and may be reached at (714)

966-4617 or by e-mail at jeff.benson@latimes.com.