With a personalized schedule in hand, hundreds of students navigated through the commons and classrooms of Central Kitsap High School, interacting with college representatives from across the west coast. While some students were directed to sessions to hone specific skills, others were guided to booths to connect with colleges; all schedules purposely tied to each student’s interests.

This annual event, known as the College and Career Fair, took place on Oct. 29 from 1:05 p.m. till 2:35 p.m., giving students the opportunity to learn about everything from specific trades to the application process for financial aid. Organized primarily by Career Coordinator Tyler Hunt, Career Center Secretary Karen Brown, and CKHS counselors, also playing a crucial role in planning and executing the event since June. 

“We first put out an email requesting participants [from] universities, technical colleges, employers, [and] apprenticeships,” Brown said. “So we sent out an email requesting them to fill out a form…that lets us know their level of participation, whether they’re willing to do a breakout session, that sort of thing.”

While there are many college and career fairs around Washington and many more outside the state, one within the school holds a significant importance; accessibility. Whether it be money or time holding a student back from an event geared towards their future, one built within the school day, removes those barriers. 

“Having it during the school day removes the barrier of transportation or students that participate in sports or have other commitments after school [that] may not be able to come back for an evening event,” Brown said. “So, Mr. Hunt worked really hard to create something in the school day so all students could have the opportunity to attend.” 

The day followed a Thursday early release schedule, however, instead of going home, students were able to participate in a career fair designed specifically for them. Weeks before the event, a survey was posted to each “class of” Google Classrooms for students to indicate careers, colleges, and trades of interest, which translated over to the “College and Career Day Passport” that students received the day of the event.

“…I create the google form that students fill out indicating their interest, because our goal is to schedule students into sessions that are of interest to them, so they can get the most out of the event,” Brown said.

On the passport was a schedule tailored to each student. To get attendance for the period, students had to receive stamps from teachers after sharing something they learned from each representative they visited. This provided students the opportunity to find resources based on their interests, helping them find a post-grad plan suitable for what they want to achieve. 

“This event really helped me by deepening my understanding on the processes of going to college and the opportunities that you can seek out after college and high school, so I can actually find a way that I can pursue my dream job,” freshman Joshua Choi said. “I’ve been finding multiple opportunities and alternates if that job fails.”

The underclassmen experience of this event is slightly different from that of upperclassmen. While some seniors continue to apply for colleges, and some juniors finalize their plans for after high school, this leaves a world of experience open to freshmen and sophomores. Although it may not be their time for applications, it’s an opportunity for exploration and preparation, exactly what this event provides. 

“It helps pave the path of what they want to do because they have more time to figure out how to achieve their goals, versus maybe seniors who haven’t achieved their goals, not struggling, but didn’t have a path paved,” sophomore Jenna Williams said. 

Each booth brings a new experience to students as they explore the event. Each school, trade, and company that was displayed to students helped make them feel welcomed, introducing new ideas and proposals into their plans for after high school; a process that can be overwhelming for many. With small steps being made to further the progress on post-grad plans, some students can leave the school day with a sense of accomplishment, putting a foot in the door towards their future.

“College fairs and resource fairs in general are a really, really wonderful time for students of every grade to find information about opportunities that are going to be available for them after they graduate, or even before they graduate as well,” Admissions Counselor at Western Washington University Lilly Montgomery said. “And it’s a really great thing to be able to not only be here and talk with students who are figuring out what they might want to do after graduation, but also to help students think about what they want to do. Giving students the opportunity to explore a little bit, talk around with other vendors and distributors here to have a wide variety of things open for them, because you really do have your whole future ahead of you after high school.”