Irvine Chinese School & South Coast Chinese Cultural Center

Fantastic experience: Great experience so far! Staff and teachers are responsive, communicative, and really care about their learning. Parents are required to put in volunteer hours and I enjoy helping out at the front desk. Regarding bathroom use, the reason restrooms aren’t allowed for parents and non-students is for the safety of the students attending the school. And there is a plaza directly across from the school that is convenient for all.

Negative experience: I’m truly shocked that someone like Julieanna Weng would be hired as a director. When a student or parent had an urgent need to use the restroom, she simply said “no” and told them to go across the street to the plaza to look for one. I find it hard to understand how someone who shows such a lack of basic empathy can be expected to teach and care for students effectively.

Fantastic experience: Great building, great staff, great classes! I had a lot of fun being a student there for like 8 years, and spending another 3 volunteering. Everyone is so kind, and I learned a lot in my time there.

Positive experience: Best unintentional liminal space impression

Negative experience: The Lantern Festival 2023 held by this organization (Pacific Symphony?) at Segerstrom is a total failure. There are hundreds of empty seats in the VIP area and hundreds of none VIP audiences with tickets had to wait outside for hours to get in. But once inside the concert hall after climbing long stairs, they were shuffled out. People kept coming out (from VIP entrance too), but none were allowed to go in. This total mess indicates the incapability of the organization which manages the process. Handicapped people were also standing in line for a long time and were sent away to watch the show on small monitors. What a shame!