Every year, District 219 hosts a college fair, featuring several colleges and universities for students to seek more information about. This year, the event was held at Niles West on Tuesday, March 22 in the contest gym and cafeteria.

Niles West College and Career Counselor Daniel Gin advocated the event.

“The college fair is a fair where students have the opportunity to help themselves with their post high school plans and to learn about new schools. It gives them the chance to be exposed to several different pathways for college,” Gin said.

Students were to register for the college fair on a website called strivefair. The website allows for students to quickly and efficiently register for the event as well as receive important tools to help them connect with schools. After registering through strivefair, students received a barcode in their emails which will be used throughout the evening for colleges to scan so the students can gain more information about the school they are interested in.

The event featured over 170 colleges. As students walked through the cafeteria and contest gym they visited several tables representing different colleges and universities. Each table has brochures, stickers, and other flyers. Students were able to get their barcodes scanned and are able to ask questions to the representatives.

“I really enjoyed going to the college fair and asking questions. It was really nice to view all of the different schools from other states. Overall, it was a great experience, and I definitely will be attending again next year,” sophomore Anastasia Haskos said.

Students attending learned a lot about colleges. They also gained insight on what they might want to pursue in their post high school careers.

“The college fair was a really good experience for learning more about my possible future options. Although it seemed chaotic at times, I feel that the fair opened my eyes to new ideas and opportunities,” junior Harry Piotrowski said.

For many students, this is an excellent opportunity to connect with colleges.

“I found college night to be very helpful. I was able to network with my college admission officers and connect with them on a more personal level, which helps them to place a face to a name,” junior Mia Sarris said.

Overall, the college fair is an event that truly sparks new perspectives for several students and allows for exposure to the several schools out there.