Chico State tour and breakfast gives counselors an inside look at the university

CHICO — Community college and high school counselors were given an inside look at Chico State Friday as part of a counselor breakfast and tour.

The Counselor Breakfast is an opportunity for the Chico State community and college and high school counselors to connect with each other on important subjects like access to higher education, student-support programs and financial aid, as well as learn more information about Chico State’s academic programs. After the breakfast, participants embark on an all-encompassing, behind-the-scenes tour of Chico State’s teaching and research facilities, according to a press release.

College Advising and Retention Specialist Shawn Brackett speaks to a tour for community college and high school counselors Friday, Feb. 16, 2024 in Yolo Hall at Chico State in Chico, California. The tour was conducted to give counselors an inside look at research labs and other facilities on campus to report back to their students. (Jennie Blevins/Enterprise-Record)

About 50 high school and community college counselors throughout the north state attended. After breakfast, Chico State employees led a group of about 20 people on the tour.

Mimi Sanchez, who works in the college of admissions, came along on the tour. Sanchez is in her third year at Chico State majoring in psychology and business with a minor in philosophy. Sanchez said whenever alumni come to Chico State for an event they are “so excited to be back here.”

College Advising and Retention Specialist Shawn Brackett spoke to the group in a lab at Yolo Hall, which houses the exercise physiology, physical therapy and kinesiology departments among others as well as an autism clinic.

“Chico State is one of the more affordable colleges,” Brackett said. “We all care about Butte County and students so much here.”

The next stop on the tour was the College of Business at Glenn Hall. College of Business Academic Advisor Justin Henry spoke to the group. Henry said the college houses investment relations courses, for example, and a center for entrepreneurship run by Director Eva Shepherd-Nicoll who is also the Chico Start Executive Director. Students can make investments using real money.

“There are no impacted classes in the college of business right now and we have a new building being built on campus,” Henry said. “We also work with study abroad students.”

Ally Rubalcaba is a counselor at Los Molinos High School and took the tour.

“I’ve been to the campus before but hadn’t been inside the buildings,” Rubalcaba said. “I’ll be able to report back what I learned to my students. I’m enjoying the tour.”

Next was the college of humanities and fine arts. HFA Associate Dean Joseph Alexander gave a short speech and then showed tour members a video highlighting all of the departments in the college such as the art department which houses ceramics and glass-blowing studios and also theatre arts among others.

Molly Huhn had a good time on the tour. Huhn is a counselor at Enterprise High School in Redding.

“This college is reachable and students can come to Chico State from Redding,” Huhn said. “It’s a good choice. They are still far enough away from home but able to go home on weekends and do their laundry.”

The tour and breakfast are held once a year at Chico State in the spring. For more information, visit www.csuchico.edu.