Kenneth Mallory
+ FollowThousands Drawn to D.C. College Fair
Thousands of D.C. metro area students attended a recent college fair where they had access to readiness tips and admission information from hundreds of the nation’s college and university representatives.
It’s not the first time the fair took place. Held annually and sponsored by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, along with D.C.’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education, the event is a massive collage of universities and colleges attempting to brand themselves as the best in academic destination. This year middle school students were welcomed in addition to high-schoolers.
Emily Durso, Assistant Superintendent for Post-secondary Education and Workforce Readiness at the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, said that the message she was imparting to students during the fair was that college is a necessity and that preparation is important.
“First of all I want them to realize they have to go to college. Number two … there are a variety of colleges here because they want them … these colleges all came here and bought booths because they want our kids,” said Durso. “They need to start getting focused on going to college young, which is why this year for the first time we have middle school students. We want to focus them earlier and earlier and earlier so that they realize that if
they want to go to these schools they’ve got to stay with the program.”
But, while Durso is stressing college as a mandatory life path, others are saying they can barely afford it. Many at the fair cited cost as a potential barrier to attending college.
“I don’t have $40,000. I’m barely paying my rent,” said southeast Washington D.C. resident Olena Oliphant, who attended the fair with her son. “ I’m looking for someone to help me, to help him get in school, with some funds. I don’t have it, I really don’t have it and it’s very expensive.”
But in a statement, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes-Norton’s office mentioned the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant that is designed to help D.C. residents pay for college. According to Norton’s office, the grant was made possible through legislation enacted in 1999 and that eventually led to a dramatic increase in D.C. residents attending college.
“In 1999, Norton’s D.C. College Act became law, creating DCTAG, a program that provides higher education opportunities for D.C. students equal to those available to other Americans, by granting up to $10,000 annually for in-state tuition at most public colleges, and up to $2,500 annually to attend private institutions in D.C. and the region. DCTAG has doubled college attendance rates in D.C., now up to 60 percent, which is ten points above the national average, has served 14,458 D.C. students over the last decade, and provided $219 million in tuition grants to more than 300 colleges and universities nationwide.”
The fair also included a counseling center where financial aid advice was offered.
Kycia Spriggins, Event Manager for the fair, said she hoped that students attending the fair would see “that there’s more options of colleges and universities than just what’s in their backyard.”
Although there was no final count available at press time, officials said they expected about 12,000 students to attend the event.
More on Politic365
3 Responses to Thousands Drawn to D.C. College Fair
-
Pingback: Educate Yourself! Thousands Drawn To D.C. College Fair | News One
-
Pingback: Educate Yourself! Thousands Drawn To D.C. College Fair | My Blog
-
Pingback: Educate Yourself! Thousands Drawn To D.C. College Fair | Breaking News for Black America
Leave a Reply
Featured
Connect
Washington Informer
Advertisement
