The Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) announced on October 22 that its fourth annual College and Career Pathways in the Arts event will take place on Thursday, January 14, 2027, from 9 a.m. to noon at Irvine Valley College (IVC) in Irvine. The event is free and open to Orange County high school students.
Who Is Affected by the OCDE Arts College and Career Event
The event is aimed at Orange County high school students who love music, theater, visual arts, or digital design and are considering an arts major or a creative career; parents, teachers, and administrators are also invited. It connects high school students with colleges, universities, and arts employers, with topics including educational pathways, careers, financial aid, internships, and paid apprenticeships. Earlier years also offered breakout sessions on audition preparation and portfolio development.
OCDE reported the following scale and participants:
- Last year’s event at Santa Ana College drew more than 650 high school students and educators.
- More than 200 students from six high schools have already registered this year, and 15 colleges, universities, and employers have signed up to host booths.
- Expected participants include the UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Chapman University, Vanguard University, Concordia University Irvine, Laguna College of Art + Design, and community colleges including Santa Ana College, Cypress College, Saddleback College, and IVC.
- Arts organizations such as the California State Summer School for the Arts and Pacific Symphony also plan to attend.
This year’s event is held at the new IVC Performing Arts Center, where students can tour the technical theater facilities and learn about careers in stage production and costuming.
What to Do Now About the OCDE Arts College and Career Event
Register through a teacher. Registration is open to high school teachers, who bring their students. Space is limited, and participating schools are responsible for transportation and student permission forms. Interested students should contact their school’s arts teacher or college counselor early.
Use the event according to grade level. January 14 falls after the University of California’s November 30 application deadline, so seniors can use the event to learn about portfolio submissions and interviews that are still in progress, while students in grades 9 through 11 can learn about arts major portfolio requirements well ahead of applying.
Planning for arts majors is available through the EDUBUS University Admissions Planning service, and portfolio building is supported by the creative courses. For an arts and writing competition that closes in December, see Scholastic Awards 2027: California Deadline Dec. 3.
Sources
- OCDE Newsroom: OCDE event to help students turn creative interests into college and career pathways (accessed October 22, 2026)
- University of California Admissions: Applying as a first-year (accessed October 22, 2026)
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