This past week, the Academic Success Fair allowed for students to come together and connect with their peers in a way that wasn’t quite possible last year. The fair held a brand new meaning this year, because it brought students together to discuss goals and interests for after college, and presented some new ideas for those who might need a little more direction. The Sonoma School of Education and other on-campus programs made an appearance to bring a better sense of what our school can do for students. 

On-campus organizations, such as Associated Students, set up tables to offer up the latest activities, as well as giving our students the opportunity to ask for or request events they would be interested in for the 2021-2022 academic year. Another table for the Learning and Academic Resource Center at Sonoma (LARC) offered up ways on how students can succeed academically through their resources located on the first floor of the library. The tabling and discussions with various school-wide activities was enlightening, and also led to many students considering their futures and what resources they can access on campus.

Mo Phillips, coordinator of the Academic Success Fair, shared a bit about what she thinks this event means for the school as a whole. “We want students to learn more about the community they have become a part of. How it brings students together is kind of two fold … one is physically here in the plaza, as they make connections and plant the seeds to taking a step towards the opportunities that we are providing, and secondly, I think it’s when they do make the connections outside of the plaza…stopping in the offices, going to the club meetings, having shared experiences with other students – that’s what builds communities.”

This event proves that Sonoma State is in for a ‘normal’ school year. While many students went into the event with curiosity and interest, they left with new ideas and opportunities to succeed here at Sonoma State. At our university, we have many opportunities and resources that are offered up to us that many students might not know about. 

A strong example of this would be with Campus Confidentiality, and we spoke to Susan Poledo who is their advocate on-campus. She is here to offer a helping hand to students struggling with sexual assault, partner violence, and domestic abuse among other things. Poledo states that “[students] asked great questions and learned a lot about Campus Confidential Advocacy as well as ways to prevent sexual violence which definitely contributes to academic success.” Susan welcomes students to book an appointment for a Zoom meeting with her at https://calendly.com/pulidosu.

 Many of the opportunities and resources available to students were ones that would set them up for a successful future here at Sonoma State.This fair opens the door to students in a number of different ways, and this door might lead to a hand in student government, a position in Student Involvement or Associated Students. The future is bright for many students here at SSU and this fair might be a tool that many students latch on to and look back on when they’re seniors or even beyond. 

The four hour event offered up many new and exciting ideas for the future of Sonoma State students and how they can further interact with the school, whether it be through the LARC, the campus police for safety, or the library for studying and other resources. This event further proves that Sonoma State is ready for a ‘normal’ year and shows just how diverse and inclusive our campus community is. The resources seen at the fair and others like it can be found throughout our SSU and library websites.