College & Carrer Night

By Amerika Blair, College & Career Night committee chair

After a year of innovation and challenges, College and Career Night was back in person. On Monday, September 13th, the 37th annual College and Career Night was held at the Montgomery Multiplex at Cramton Bowl. The College and Career Night committee intensely engaged over 40 high schools in 10 counties, promoting the vital resources offered at College and Career Night. We successfully welcomed over two thousand attendees by implementing safety protocols and adding an extra hour for students to engage with 110 representatives from colleges, universities, and careers across the Southeastern region.

Returning to the Montgomery Multiplex at Cramton Bowl, participants were accommodated with convenient parking and a large event space, allowing social distancing while engaging with representatives.

Adding to the resources offered during this important event, attendees were able to enter into two scholarship drawings from Potential Magazine and The Junior League of Montgomery. After a randomly selected drawing, the Junior League of Montgomery awarded Jalen Davis, a twelfth-grade student at Stanhope Elmore High School, a $500 scholarship.

College and Career Night offers students a comprehensive outlook of available opportunities for them post-high school. After a year of extreme challenges for students and parents, we knew how important it was to organize this event for our students and parents. This event is the largest of its kind in our area. Serving the Alabama Black Belt community, one of the most under-resourced communities in our nation, College and Career Night offers resources to students who may not otherwise have the opportunity to receive them all free of charge.

Figuring out how to pay for college is often the most significant challenge for students wishing to attend their dream school. For this reason, attendees were able to access

2021- 2022 A Guide to Scholarships and Financial Aid, a booklet published by The Junior League of Montgomery that gives a comprehensive guide to scholarships and financial aid from colleges and universities across the southeast region. This guide was offered digitally, allowing students and parents to access over 200 pages of information quickly. In addition to the guide, College and Career Night sponsor, Auburn University of Montgomery offered on-site scholarship and financial aid workshops

A new feature for College and Career Night, attendees were able to highlight this moment using a 360 photobooth sponsored by Councilor Marche Johnson. We also featured new exhibitors such as Alfa Insurance and Max Credit Union, allowing attendees to explore new career opportunities posthigh school.

Even with the challenges presented, College and Career Night achieved its goals of assisting students with the opportunity to choose their future. Led by Chair Amerika Blair, committee members worked diligently to promote participation through social media, distributing flyers and posters, recruiting participation from colleges, universities, and careers throughout the southeastern region, and securing sponsorships and donations from the community. The effort and support shown by College and Career Night committee members allowed another year of great success.

“My hope is that this event continues to spread for years to come. Supporting our students’ goals is extremely important. I’m proud to have the opportunity to serve our students, parents and educators alongside like-minded women,” said Amerika Blair.

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