Zhenqi (Gloria) Q.  – Orange County, California Local Community Guide

Co-Founder & Co-President US Chapter, Pro Pro Bono Global Community Service Website

Introduction

My name is Gloria Qiu, and I am a high school student in Irvine, California. I created this page to help local residents and newcomers easily find useful information about driving resources in the Irvine and Orange County area. I hope this guide can make it easier for people to access important services in the community.

How to Get a California Driver’s License

For Adults (18+)

If you are 18 years old or older, getting a driver’s license in California is a relatively easy process.

Step 1: Apply for a driver’s license

Go to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website and complete the online application form. After submitting your application, you will need to visit a DMV office in person to continue the process.

Step 2: Take the written test

Visit a DMV office and pass the knowledge test, which covers traffic laws, road signs, and safe driving practices.

 Tip: Most of the test questions are based on the official DMV Driver Handbook. Carefully studying the handbook is usually enough to prepare for the exam.

You can either walk in to take the test or schedule an appointment, which is recommended to reduce waiting time.

Step 3: Practice driving (optional but recommended)

Adults are not required to take driver’s education or complete a specific number of practice hours. However, it is strongly recommended to practice driving with a licensed driver to improve your skills before taking the driving test.

Step 4: Take the driving test

Schedule a behind-the-wheel driving test through the DMV. During the test, you will be evaluated on your ability to safely operate a vehicle, follow traffic rules, and demonstrate good driving habits.

Once you pass the test, you will receive your California driver’s license.

For Minors (Under 18)

If you are under 18 years old, getting a driver’s license in California involves additional requirements to ensure safety and proper training.

Step 1: Complete driver’s education

You must complete an approved driver’s education course before applying for a learner’s permit. This course usually includes online or classroom instruction about traffic laws and safe driving practices.

 You can typically start an online driver’s education course at age 15, but you must be at least 15 and half years old to apply for a learner’s permit.

 Common mistake: Many people think that finishing driver’s education means they can immediately get a permit. However, you still need to meet the age requirement and pass the written test at the DMV.

Step 2: Apply for a learner’s permit

Apply at the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and pass the written knowledge test.

Step 3: Complete driving practice and training

You are required to complete at least 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours of night driving.

In addition, you must take professional driving lessons with a certified instructor. Before taking the driving test, you need to complete your training and obtain your instructor’s signature (driver training certificate). In most cases, your instructor or driving school can help you schedule your driving test.

 Important rules during the permit period:

● You are not allowed to drive alone.

● You must be accompanied by a licensed adult who is at least 25 years old (parent, guardian, instructor, or another qualified adult).

● For the first 12 months after getting your license, you cannot carry passengers under 20 years old or drive between 11 PM and 5 AM without a qualified adult.

Step 4: Hold the permit for at least 6 months

You must keep your learner’s permit for a minimum of six months before you are eligible to take the driving test.

Step 5: Take the driving test

After completing all requirements, schedule and pass the behind-the-wheel driving test. Once you pass, you will receive your California driver’s license.

This section explains how to obtain a driver’s license in California for both adults and minors. The requirements are different depending on your age.

📍 Nearby Orange County DMV Offices

Costa Mesa DMV Office

Address: 650 W 19th St, Costa Mesa, CA 92627

Website:https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/field-office/costa-mesa/ 

Santa Ana DMV Office

Address:1330 E 1st St, Santa Ana, CA 92701

Website: https://www.dmv.ca.gov

A Little Bit About Myself

When I was eight years old, I stood backstage before my first runway show, staring at the crowd and thinking about only one thing: please do not mess up. I worried about walking in the wrong direction, missing my timing, or doing something embarrassing in front of so many people.

Years later, I stood backstage again, but this time I was not only a model. I was preparing to walk the runway in a piece from my own collection while also helping with the production and direction of the show. I checked outfits, organized models into the correct order, translated for international models, and made sure one model with two different looks appeared in the right place twice. Somewhere between solving problems backstage and getting myself ready to walk, I realized how much my relationship with fashion had changed.

I had started modeling long before I understood what fashion meant to me. For years, I wore clothes that other people had imagined. As I attended more fashion weeks in high school, however, I became increasingly curious about everything happening beyond my few minutes on the runway. I did not only want to wear someone else's idea. I wanted to know how that idea became real.

That curiosity pushed me into design.

Because I have loved the ocean since I was young, I created a five-look collection inspired by marine life. Diving has always given me a feeling that is difficult to find anywhere else. Underwater, everything becomes quiet, and I feel as though I have entered my own world. As I grew older, I also began to understand that something so beautiful could be incredibly fragile.

I began with sketches, then visited fabric markets with my teacher, choosing materials and decorations and changing designs when reality did not match what I had imagined on paper. The final collection used shades of blue and purple and details inspired by the movement and forms of the ocean.

After the collection was shown at Fashion Week, a woman who had seen one of my dresses asked if it was for sale. She told me the color felt perfect for her and that she wanted to wear it herself. When the piece eventually sold for 11,800 RMB (~US$1,760), I was shocked. What mattered most was not the price, but the realization that something that began privately in my sketchbook could become meaningful to another person.

Modeling led me to design, and design led me backstage and entrepreneurship. My mentor began teaching me more about runway production and directing, and I discovered how much invisible work exists behind a show that lasts only a few minutes. My work as a designer and runway model has appeared in dozens of online fashion media and mainstream media, such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, and L'Officiel, as well as Yahoo, Wall Street Journal and AP, but I have become more interested in what happens before the final photograph: the planning, revision, collaboration, and problem-solving that make it possible.

I never wanted to stay in only one role. Modeling made me curious about design. Design made me curious about production. The ocean gave me something I want to create from and eventually give back to through marine conservation.

I used to think the most important part of fashion was stepping onto the runway. Now I know that the part I value most happens before that moment: noticing something, becoming curious about it, understanding how it works, and then finding a way to make something of my own. That is also how I have learned to approach the rest of my life.

 Fashion Designer-Entrepreneur-Marine Life Lover – Humbled and honored when my model paid me RMB 11,800 for my first design (~US$1,760) for the outfit that is featured in the Lower Center Panel 2^nd from Right)

AW26 (Autumn/Winter 2026) Beijing Fashion Week Coverage containing my fashion designs and my runway model pictures and mentioned me specifically (Selected Coverage out of several dozen, not shown Cosmopolitan China Online, L’officiel China Online)

Part-Time Professional Runway Model (started when I was only 8; Below Left; Now regularly appearing in China and Beijing Fashion Weeks as a Runway Model for different Fashion Houses).

My runway model spread in Vogue China Online (Left Panel) and Wall Street Online (Middle & Right Panel)
 

SS25 (Spring/Summer 2025) China Fashion Week Coverage containing my runway model pictures and mentioned me specifically (Selected Coverage out of several dozen, not shown Cosmopolitan China Online, L’officiel China Online)

      Assistant Runway Show Producer

 Assistant Runway Show Director