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Updated: March 1, 2025 @ 3:04 pm
Sean Wellengard representing the OCC Scholarships Office at his table in the Financial Aid Awareness Resource Fair on Feb. 25 in front of the bookstore.
Left to right: Jenna Perez and Anastasia Levenets Fedortsova pose with resource flyers and artwork at the UndocuScholars table during the first Financial Aid Awareness Resource Fair.
A flyer posted in advance of the Financial Aid Awareness Resource Fair on Feb. 25 in the Main Quad by the bookstore.
Co-Managing Editor
Sean Wellengard representing the OCC Scholarships Office at his table in the Financial Aid Awareness Resource Fair on Feb. 25 in front of the bookstore.
Left to right: Jenna Perez and Anastasia Levenets Fedortsova pose with resource flyers and artwork at the UndocuScholars table during the first Financial Aid Awareness Resource Fair.
A flyer posted in advance of the Financial Aid Awareness Resource Fair on Feb. 25 in the Main Quad by the bookstore.
Orange Coast College hosted the first ever “Financial Aid Awareness Resource Fair” on Feb. 25 to encourage students to learn about the resources and financial aid that is available for students on campus.
The fair was held alongside the “Pirate Involvement Fair” to further outreach to students that would already be in the area to join clubs and get involved with student life on campus. The goal was simply to provide as many financial resources as possible in one place for an in-person event to any new or curious students.
Jessica Martin, a counselor who was at the counselling center table, representing the counselling office, wanted students to be aware of the importance of counseling in their education plans.
“[Students] should meet with a counselor every semester, to set up an [education] plan and make sure that they’re on track,” Martin said. “The best time to meet is like a month before registration because once registration starts? We’re packed. It’s very hard to get in.”
Martin continued to say that right now through April is a perfect time to be meeting with counselors to get ahead of the student rushes that happen before graduation in May.
Jenna Perez, an UndocuScholars coordinator, wanted to make it clear to students that despite the tough times that many students might be in, UndocuScholars is still here to stay at OCC. For those who may be unfamiliar or new to the campus, Perez explained what exactly the UndocuScholars program is.
“UndocuScholars is to support our undocumented students, students from mixed status families,” Perez said. “So, we provide information, resources. We do have free immigration legal services that any staff, student or faculty can access.”
According to Perez, the program started relatively small back in 2017 as a resource table but has since grown significantly.
“Now, it’s like a whole program so we have our own center now in the Watson Hall on the fourth floor.” Perez said.
Perez also acknowledged the uncertainty that many students are currently facing with newly appointed President Trump back in office and the harsher comedown on undocumented people.
“I want to emphasize that student information is still confidential,” Perez said. “There are still resources and help available, so I hope that people don’t not access services out of fear or anxiety.”
Perez explained that she understood the concern and anxiety surrounding the current topic but emphasized that there are “laws to protect student data, so it is confidential and it’s still safe to access these resources.”
Anastasia Levenets Fedortsova is a student Peer Mentor, which is a part of Student Equity, who works alongside the UndocuScholars program.
“Peer mentorship includes hosting events, hosting drop-in hours, helping out with events like the Pirate Involvement Fair and things like that,” Fedortsova said. “[For anyone interested], we would post anything regarding job applications and interviews opening up on our Instagram, @occstudentequity.”
For more information on OCC Peer Mentors and Student Equity, go to their website.
Sean Wellengard, an administrative assistant with the Scholarships Foundation, explained how happy he was to get a chance to talk to students at the first ever Financial Aid Awareness Resource fair.
“It’s been keeping pretty busy here,” Wellengard said. “It’s important that these students are aware of the resources available to them, particularly in the financial aid area.”
Wellengard also wanted to share with students about one of the new scholarships that has become available this year for those in the Visual and Performing Arts programs.
“Thanks to one very generous donation from an anonymous donor, we are able to offer quite a bit of scholarships to students,” Wellengard said.
For more information on OCC scholarships, please visit their website.
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