On September 18, a college fair was held at the Hollywood Fire Department, hosting over 80 school representatives. Rows of colleges were set up side-by-side, each provided a small stand to represent their respective colleges with brochures of information and answering any questions the students attending had. Many of the colleges that attended were from close-by states as well as multiple in-state colleges, including several from Virginia, Pennsylvania, and more.

Overall, the college fair received a positive reaction from those who attended. The opportunity to speak one-on-one with a representative from your college of interest, or simply explore more colleges and universities you previously did not know about it, is no doubt a positive and informative experience. From the students I spoke with afterward and from a survey released, most students came out of the fair with newfound college interests and learned information; two students reported an unexpected interest in attending an all-women college and others found military field interests. It’s a great opportunity to find out what’s important to you. Get advice on paying for college, find specific education programs (such as nursing, engineering, etc.), learn the prerequisites on major interests, and so forth. Personally, I was able to receive fee waivers on a few college applications just by asking about it, something I never realized was so easy to do and extremely helpful (some applications are up to $75 apiece, yikes). 

If you missed the college fair, or just want to attend again, don’t fret. There will be another college fair in the spring of 2020 as well as multiple college visits in the career center throughout the school year, so keep an eye on your emails! Ms. Hazlegrove* coordinates all of these events to aid students through the post-graduation process. Unfortunately, she doesn’t get the pleasure of seeing enough of the students at LHS, especially our underclassmen. After speaking with her, she let me know that she wants to encourage more underclassmen to visit her because it is important to start early. I myself began visiting the career center my junior year and—despite her probably being tired of seeing my face at this point from all the visits—I wish I began receiving her guidance from the moment I stepped foot into this school. Ms. Hazlegrove has helped me with so much, whether it be building my resume, filling out applications, giving recommendations and advice — she’s done it all. There will be plenty of opportunities to work with her, either in group activities such as different workshops and presentations that she organizes throughout the year, or meeting with her personally. It’s really easy to do, all you have to do is ask her, and she’s typically very accessible! If you haven’t already, I urge you all to take advantage of all the opportunities LHS offers and please go visit Ms. Hazlegrove in the career center! A good starter is, “I have no idea how any of this works, please help me.” That’s what I did. 

*Ms. Hazlegrove has since been replaced by Mrs. Wilson