City College students and families gathered to join in at the second-annual open house event, “Celebrate City!” on Friday, April 19. The event was held for people to experience what it means to be a Panther, complete with a variety of different food vendors, music and entertainment.
Different clubs and programs organized booths in the main quad to inform students on all they have to offer, and different departments had informational flyers to learn more about each program. Each booth gave a description of what their club or program is about and were open to answering any questions. Some booths were more informational while others provided games in order to win a prize, and other booths offered City College merchandise.
The campus was covered with students and their families socializing and interacting with one another, with different clubs all interacting with one another; the event provided an interactive way for attendees to meet new people. Academic programs represented at the event included nursing, cosmetology, psychology and more.
Live music was a huge factor of this event. Instruments were set up near the Performing Arts Center and a handful of students from the Theater Department played a number of classic songs. There was even an area for kids that had a blowup for children to enjoy, making this event perfect for everyone.
The Ethnic Studies program was one of the many booths featured at Celebrate City. The program is run by Prof. Keith Heningburg who teaches both U.S. History and Ethnic Studies. The booth had a few flyers meant to give an insight of what the program really means, not only to City College, but to Sacramento as a whole. The program is designed to provide more inclusion for minorities, and is open for anyone seeking more knowledge of the experiences and issues Sacramento’s minority communities face.
For part of the event, Heningurg’s wife, Rosalind Heningburg, was there to inform attendees on the details of this program. “The program has become really popular and the students love it. It’s helped them learn about who they are.” said Rosalind Heningburg.
A fairly new addition to City College’s course catalog is the mural painting class, which was introduced to City College in 2023. This booth was tucked away near the Fine Arts Building, students in the class and those from other art classes conversed and shared about the class. The main point of the class is teaching students how to paint a mural on campus, such as learning how to get started as well as the technique it takes.
“This class is a fun way that’s interactive and gets everyone involved,” said student Victoria Tate. The class has many other murals they are looking forward to painting on campus, and to be able to express their artistic capabilities.
Celebrate City showed how to get people involved on campus, and provided students direction and insight on programs they may previously were not aware of. The event allowed students to learn more about themselves and their own interests, as well as classes and programs they may want to try out, while providing a place for communities of diverse interests to come together to understand what it means to be a Panther.
