Class of 2025 students exploring over 60 college and career opportunities during the school day. Photo by Zach Jacobson.

East seniors were offered a glimpse into the wide range of paths available after graduation during a college fair on Sept. 12, 2024. Over 60 college and career representatives attended to give students quick and important facts on post high school opportunities.

One of the hardest things in life is transitioning from high school to college. For this reason, East holds a college and career fair twice a year. The fair is great because students can talk face-to-face with various college and career representatives.

Joy Gatz, head of the college and career office, was eager to hold this college fair for the seniors at East. Gatz is always open to helping all students find their perfect career path and knows that the representatives will help them answer common questions.

“Students look for colleges that have the major that they are looking for,” Gatz said. “They make sure that they can meet the requirements they have and the GPA they need.”

Gatz was very optimistic about this year’s college and career fair. She joined East last January and has made great strides to provide help for students in making future plans.

“I think a fair does positively impact students because it gives students a chance to see what’s possible,” Gatz said. “It also exposes them to places they might not look into because they might find a rep, maybe they’re at a booth and they hear somebody at the next table that piques their interest.”

Senior, Rosh Morrow,  remarked how he was fortunate to attend this event during the school day Thursday.

“I was looking forward to colleges that had good programs for my major,” Morrow said. “The college fair helps me because it allows me to explore my options with local and out-of-state universities and colleges.”

While the fair was going on, East also held a presentation to educate students about how to prepare before applying to colleges. It was a great time for students to ask questions and gain key information about scholarship opportunities and financial aid.

Senior, Lakshya Sinha, attended this presentation and felt more prepared to apply to colleges in the fall after hearing this new information.

“The presentation in the PAC was really helpful for me because it clearly outlined the steps involved in applying to college and provided a lot of additional valuable information,” Sinha said.

In the fall, seniors can be stressed and even lost when collecting all the required materials for applying to college. There are many steps they have to take to apply and a lot to consider before choosing the perfect college.

“After learning this information, I feel more prepared to choose a college that not only fits my needs but also me as a person,” Sinha said. “It gave me the tools to make a more informed decision about my future.”

With extraordinary efforts from school staff, East put together a successful college and career fair to help support and guide students in their decisions for the future.

Written by Seniors Morgan Luberda, Zach Jacobson, and Endia Bownes. Edited by staff writers for Oswego East’s online news magazine The Howl.