Food, school supplies and opportunity drawings are some of the features of the MANA Center Open House taking place Tuesday, May 6, from 1-3 p.m. at El Camino College.

A ramen bar, while supplies last, will be available at the open house. Students can meet the MANA staff and learn about available resources.

“One thing that stands out about us, I would say, would be the mentorship; having a mentor assigned to you the day you join,” ECC Warriors football defensive lineman Jaggar Tavai said.

Tavai said MANA provides what other programs provide — help with scheduling classes, degree planning, help with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and tutoring.

“For me personally, … I [had a] very low GPA coming into El Camino, like around the 1.3 area, and just one semester with MANA got me up … to a 3.1.”

Other events the MANA Center is hosting include a Disney “Moana” sing-along at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, and a lei-making workshop from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 20.

“Being around the people that’s a part of this program, the program coordinator [Mele Makalo] — just being around them and the energy that I got … I learned what El Camino offers really, and ever since then, I feel like college has been an eye-opener. It’s not just going to school. It’s more … opportunities for our future,” Tavai said.

The MANA Center is located in the Communications Building, Room 304 and is open Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Editor’s note:

• • This article was updated Thursday, May 8, to add a word to the headline.