Media release from Rome, GA City Schools, written by Brighton Turner and Selah Marshall:
Rome High School has been known for academic progress for many years, so much so that when it came to have a college fair on campus recently, more than 50 colleges and universities showed up to recruit, including some schools that were more than 2,500 miles away.
The College fair was hosted in Rome High’s main gym and was full of tables from each college at the event. The colleges set up posters, brochures, and flags to display their mascots and information about their college.
Juniors and seniors came at different times. The seniors showed up first, followed by the juniors. Both groups stayed about 45 minutes. During their time, students walked around the gym, observing the tables set up, talking to the college representatives, and taking pamphlets the colleges offered.
Senior Jayden Perez said he hopes to major in nursing at Emory University, but is also looking at several other state schools, and enjoyed the college fair experience.
“This has given me an opportunity to get excited about college,” he said. “It also is a great opportunity to speak with real college professionals one-on-one.”
Andrew Hunsinger from the University of Vermont said he hopes to broaden the students’ horizons to schools in the Northeast and let them know about their possibilities outside of Rome.
“The main thing I want to bring to a place like Rome High School is to let students know that the Northeast is an option for them,” Hunsinger said. “Especially in Atlanta, a lot of people from the northeast are moving to the south, and we are trying to let students in places like Rome know about the opportunities that are available at universities like Vermont.”
While the students marveled at the number of schools in attendance, what they didn’t see was all the preparation behind the scenes to make the fair happen.
“I have been planning the college fair since June. I wrote a lot of emails and made phone contacts with a lot of these colleges,” Rome High School Counselor Melissa Holland said. “I am also able to reach out via SCOIR (the SCOIR College Network), and there is a way to invite colleges through the site, and I got a lot of interest that way.”
Junior Genesis Uzcategui said something she finds appealing about a college is if they are far from home, so she can go out and see the world for herself while studying ultrasound-radiology, her major.
¨I’ve looked at Warren Wilson, Toccoa Falls, Eckerd, and Florida Southern,” Uzcategui said.
Lilly Blanchard said she is a big Oregon football fan, so that college coming to Rome caught her attention. Some of the colleges that visited Rome really surprised these students.
“I’ve been on a tour at UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) and I’m applying early to Duke for neuroscience,” she said. She discussed wanting a college with a diverse, inclusive community. She is looking for a college with good education, good sports, and a good vibe.
The fair was a perfect place for many students to get an opportunity to learn about a lot of different schools.
“I don’t know exactly what college I want to go to, but I am interested in UGA or Emory,” Janna Nyguen, a junior, said. “I want to major in Premed. I want to go into the healthcare field.”
While the college fair afforded lots of options for students, Holland said it also aligns with Rome High School’s mission statement. For many students, this was a first-time experience to the exposure of different colleges and the idea of possible majors they can choose.
“The college fair is an extension of our mission statement, which is to make sure students graduate from Rome High School prepared for college or work,” she said. “I want the students to have an open mind and to be able to find out the opportunities that are out there and available to them. Some students may have in mind that they want to go to work, but through this they may see they want to go to college. An event like this offers them the chance to open their minds to other opportunities.”
