About 900 students from area high schools on Friday morning gathered in the Albert Lea High School gymnasium for the ALHS annual college and career exploration fair. This was the fourth year for the event.
The fair was open to sophomores, juniors and seniors in high school and in addition to information, students also were able to get fun promotional materials from colleges like magnets or keychains. Some booths even gave out candy in keeping with the time of year.
According to school counselor and one of the event’s organizers, Jess Hatland, students attending the event learned about the full spectrum of opportunities available after graduation. She explained about 700 students were from Albert Lea, and the rest were from United South Central, NRHEG, Alden-Conger and Blooming Prairie schools.
“The goal of this event is exposure,” Hatland said. “Exposing our students to careers that they may not be aware of and what it takes to get to that career. And then exposure to all the different colleges that are out there, the different types of colleges, as well as certificate programs at a school that might be, you know, a one-semester training program versus a four-year college.”
One of the colleges with multiple booths at the college and career fair was Riverland Community College. Recruiters from the school promoted a variety of the college’s different programs, including health care, automotive services, business and more. There were also representatives there to inform potential students about financial aid and scholarships.
Taylor Flugge, Riverland’s scholarship program coordinator, said she was specifically promoting the Freeborn County Community Promise Scholarship. The scholarship, she said, is an opportunity for students to come to Riverland and receive a minimum $500 scholarship with the potential for it to cover the total cost of tuition, provided the student graduated from a Freeborn County high school, lives in Freeborn County and meets certain academic requirements.
“Our donors are hoping that students will come to school here, and want to stay in the community — work here, live here, make their lives here — so that we can continue to be a thriving community,” Flugge said.