On March 10, 28 North students attended the National Hispanic College Fair at Burlington Central High School. The event was designed to provide Hispanic and Spanish-speaking students with the opportunity to explore post-secondary education options. Students were able to see different schools, college pathways and how admission processes work.
Over 40 colleges and universities attended the fair, giving students a wide variety of options to look at. As with most college fairs, students were able to see a large selection of different schools that would be otherwise difficult to get to.
“I feel like I had more choices than I thought on what to choose from [for college],” said Andrea Garcia Audelo, a freshman who attended the fair. “It’s a very good opportunity.”
Representation is a major part of this event. By focusing the event on Hispanic students, it gives them a chance to feel included and considered.
“When [college fairs] are geared towards Spanish speaking and Hispanic students, it gives them an opportunity to see themselves in some of these post-secondary options that they might not otherwise think are available to them. A lot of their representatives were Spanish speakers, so [students] were comfortable there,” said Cara Erdmier, school counselor.
This year is the first time North students have been able to attend this college fair. Other years, the location or timing did not work out; however, because it was a positive experience, North hopes to continue attending the event.
“We’re hoping that next year, when it’s in the fall, we will bring more students to it, and it’ll become an annual thing,” said Erdmier.
