Sunbaes sport their school signs with the OLC team.
Back Row (left to right): Ashley Kim, Serena Yang, Brandon Cho, Kayla Perez, Anthony Kharrat, Nolan Clement, Denny Lee
Middle Row (left to right) Fiona Choo, Klarissa Palacios, Arabella Varieur, Emma Lee, Ethan Castillo, Jade Bahng, Irene Kim, Emma Zeng, Grace Kim, and Ana Calvillo
Front Row (left to right): Odelia Ku, Olivia Ko, Zoey Bahng, Anh Nguyen, andKamran Maghzi

Co-creators of Sunbae Cafe Zoey (left) and Jade (right) Bahng share a drink at the Seesaw Beans and Coffee Cafe.

Fullerton sisters Jade and Zoey Bahng hosted a pop-up cafe event, Sunbae Cafe, for visitors to ask college students of diverse backgrounds questions to help them navigate the maze of college research on Sunday, June 9, at Seesaw Beans and Coffee in Buena Park. Sunbae, mentioned in the event’s title, is Korean for an older friend and mentor who has walked the path before you at school or work. The sisters are extremely community-driven, and Sunbae Cafe truly showcases their passion for community and their relationship as sisters. The event mirrors the dynamic of two siblings, one in college and the other in high school.

“The execution of the event was nothing short of a “community” and “family” affair, said the Bahng sisters. The Bahng family’s efforts “fit together like a puzzle,” said the Bahng sisters.

Their mom markets the event to parents in the community, and their dad connects to businesses to get a venue. Jade uses her contacts as a college lifestyle influencer with 24K followers. Zoey also uses her high school connections as the creator of an art collective titled the Open Lid Collective (OLC), which hosts art galleries and creative events to empower student artists. The sisters’ connections allowed them to get sponsorships for the event from companies such as Home From College, an online platform providing early career opportunities for Gen-Z, who gave the event a $250 sponsorship for uniforms, posters, and important additions to the event.

To build their team of Sunbaes, Jade posted an Instagram story to encourage her fellow college students to sign up as Sunbaes and was met with an overwhelming amount of interest from friends.

“It was a “wholesome realization” that so many of her friends were “excited to be involved,” said Jade.

The event exploded with this more immediate network as word traveled through the community. On a larger scale, OLC’s board of five high school students, Zoey, Anh Nguyen, Olivia Ko, Odelia Ku, and Kamran Maghzi, led OLC students to procure marketing initiatives to publicize the event. OLC also worked incredibly hard to design all uniforms and posters and negotiate event sponsorships with various food, beverage, and fashion brands. As Jade is a part of many marketing and consulting-driven clubs and internships, she was “very impressed that these high school students had such high output even during their busy finals season.” OLC’s dedication to the event and community paid off, as the event tremendously positively impacted every visitor.

Sunbaes Chloe Lim & Ethan Castillo speaking with two Sunbae Cafe visitors.

The event hosted many interested high school students, parents, and even younger students, with Sunbaes nationwide. The energy in Seesaw Beans and Coffee was bustling and exciting, with OLC staff members greeting visitors and delivering goodie bags.

“OLC Director of Publicity Anh Nguyen was making social media content for the event and was proud to see the OLC team’s “hard work come to fruition,” said Nguyen.

Many eager visitors were taking notes and conversing with each Sunbae mentor. Visitor Carolina Lane was excited to attend the event as the “information is so needed,” and there are “not a lot of opportunities” like Sunbae Cafe. This sentiment was mirrored by nearly everyone at the event. Sunbae Anthony Kharrat emphasized the uniqueness of the event, where students can discover “details only a student would know.” The event offered guidance and community to those trying to find their ground in college admissions.

As the event closed, Jade and Zoey were extremely content with their hard work. The sisters shared a moment of gratitude for the community as their goal had been fulfilled. Zoey was shocked by how long visitors were staying, “I was expecting people to stay for 15-30 minutes, but many stayed for hours.” At its core, the event was made to offer support to anyone applying to college at some point, and it did just that. Referred to by many as “wholesome,” the Sunbaes, OLC team members, and visitors were all touched by the experience. Before the event, Jade and Zoey were anxious, unsure if the event would work out, doubting the possibility of hosting another event of a similar kind. However, the sisters’ journey has only just started, as many guests left asking, “When is the next one?”