An extraordinary way to recruit

KENDALL SHANNON Reporter @The_Valley_Life

Life is about being prepared, and this year’s College Fair Extraordinaire attempts to do just that by connecting accredited universities with high school and community college students from all across the valley.

Pierce College opened its doors to numerous colleges such as California State University Northridge, University of California, Irvine and California Lutheran University.

CSUN Representative Arlyn Hernandez even regarded it as one of the more impressive college fair’s she has been to, stating it as “one of the biggest college fairs.”

Pierce’s college fair hosted on its mall walkway had over 30 colleges with a representative(s) at each table to give information about their respective schools. Pierce’s college fair couples with its UC TAG program which offers students a guaranteed transfer to a UC school upon completing certain requirements.

Many students make a choice to look at only a few colleges, but others journey from booth to booth with hopes of coming across colleges with unique programs. Through college fairs, students have the chance to learn about these different programs.

Brianna Randall, a student at Reseda Charter High School, said, “I was only looking at two and once I came here and I spoke with a lot of different representatives, it made me feel like there was more out there for me rather than just what was close to home.”

Randall said. “I found out about some universities that have certain programs that I wasn't aware of. I got excited about it, realizing that there's a lot more out there for me if I go look.”

According to Daisy Flores, a a student representative of CSUN, students who attend college fairs gain an advantage over the average student by having the knowledge about what certain schools have to offer.

“They’re exposed to all kinds of programs. They’re exposed to opportunities and pathways to get to where they want to be. Not enough people know about college,” Flores said.

Joseph Welch, a representative of Cal Poly Pomona, spoke about the importance of having a college degree is in today’s workforce.

“Don't think about it as not necessary anymore. Especially now in this day and age where most jobs now require a bachelor's degree of some kind or even an associate degree,” Welch said.