Moreno Valley College Super Saturday Helps Students, Families Navigate Resources and Learn About New Housing

Students and families gathered at Moreno Valley College’s Welcome Center Saturday for Super Saturday, where new and returning students received help with class registration, financial aid, academic counseling and campus resources ahead of the fall semester.

The Aug. 22 event brought many of the practical pieces of starting college into one place. Students could meet directly with staff, tour the campus and connect with programs designed to support them throughout their academic journey. Many arrived with parents and relatives who were learning how to navigate the college process alongside them.

Free breakfast and lunch, including tacos and aguas frescas, were also served as temperatures climbed to about 100 degrees.

For Gema Trigueros Araiza, a first-generation student, biology transfer major and MVC outreach ambassador, Super Saturday can make an unfamiliar process easier to navigate.

She said the event gives students “a fundamental idea of where to go and how to get started on the first day of school.”

Trigueros Araiza said she often directs students toward programs such as EOPS and the Promise Program, which can connect eligible students with counseling, financial assistance and other resources. She also encourages students who arrive unsure where to begin to start at the Welcome Center, where they can be directed to admissions and records, financial aid, counseling and other departments based on their needs.

Her own experience at MVC has included student employment. Trigueros Araiza said being introduced to work-study and campus employment at 17 gave her early professional experience and something tangible to carry onto her résumé.

Computer science major David Morales pointed to the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement program, or MESA, as an important part of his own development at MVC.

Through MESA, he has received academic support, mentorship and access to internship and scholarship opportunities. The program also funded his participation in a Los Angeles hackathon, giving him an opportunity to compete alongside other students, meet industry professionals and gain experience connected to his field.

“Without all of the support that I’ve had from the supervisor and even my peers themselves, I feel like I would have not been as good academically without them,” David said.

He said that support has helped him change his habits and become more disciplined as a student. He also credited MVC professors with taking an active interest in student success.

For someone considering college but hesitating because of finances, work or other responsibilities, David’s advice was straightforward: “I’d say go for it 100%.”

Affordability was another major focus of Super Saturday.

Financial aid staff helped students complete or update the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, while college representatives provided information about grants and other assistance. MVC President Rudy Besikof said fewer than 1% of the college’s students have student loans and noted that eligible students can receive federal and state aid that extends beyond tuition to expenses such as textbooks and technology.

“A student can come and study and not borrow any money,” Besikof said.

For students balancing college with jobs, family or other responsibilities, he said MVC is also prepared to accommodate different course loads and timelines.

“We are prepared to receive students at whatever class load they want to take and whatever time frame they need to complete their studies,” Besikof said.

Those efforts come as MVC enters the semester with fresh outside recognition. WalletHub’s 2026 Best & Worst Community Colleges report ranked Moreno Valley College No. 1 in the Inland Empire for the third consecutive year, No. 7 in California and No. 35 nationally among 613 colleges evaluated. MVC also ranked No. 7 nationally for career outcomes.

The college’s student-support network is also expanding beyond traditional academic and financial resources.

One day before Super Saturday, the first students moved into fully furnished apartments through MVC’s new Lion’s Path Housing Program, including housing located about a five-minute walk from campus. The HUD-supported program serves qualifying students ages 18 to 24 who are experiencing homelessness, at risk of losing housing or fleeing domestic violence.
Rather than traditional dormitories, Lion’s Path uses apartments in existing residential communities and pairs housing with case management and basic-needs assistance. 

Dr. Alise Clouser, principal investigator for MVC’s federal Basic Needs grant, spoke about the program during Super Saturday and said Friday’s first move-ins underscored how significant stable housing can be for students.

“I’ve never had a bed off the ground before,” Clouser recalled him saying. She said it would also be the first time he had his own room and his own bed. Other students moving in included a single mother and a single father.

Clouser said the broader Basic Needs program is designed to help students navigate barriers that can interfere with school, including housing, food, transportation, health care and financial needs. 

Mental health and wellness services were also represented at Super Saturday.

Dr. Lynette Sullivan, MVC’s mental health supervisor, said the Mental Health and Wellness Center provides prevention, early-intervention and treatment services aimed at helping students manage challenges that can affect both their well-being and academic performance. Services include therapy, wellness groups and skill-building sessions focused on areas such as anxiety, meditation, coping strategies and healthy sleep habits.

Sullivan said students do not have to begin with therapy to receive support.

“We all need to learn to take care of our mental health because that’s our brain,” Sullivan said, noting that students who may not be ready for therapy can still participate in prevention and early-intervention programs.

Other programs represented during Super Saturday included TRIO, Umoja, Puente, EOPS and MESA, giving students and families a chance to speak directly with the people behind the services available throughout the semester.

Taken together, the resources available Saturday gave students and families an opportunity to see more than where classes are held or how to complete registration. They could ask questions, meet staff and begin identifying the academic, financial, personal and basic-needs support that may be useful once the semester is underway.

For first-generation students such as Trigueros Araiza, that can begin with simply knowing where to turn. For students like David, those initial connections can grow into mentorship, professional opportunities and greater confidence in the classroom.

And for students facing challenges outside the classroom, the support can be even more fundamental — from having access to mental health care to having a safe place to sleep.

Super Saturday offered incoming and returning students a place to begin those connections before the first day of class — and a closer look at the network of resources available to help them move forward once the semester begins.