District college fair offers students new futures

Isabella Mahal • October 1, 2016

On Tuesday, September 27, Poudre High School hosted the Northern Colorado Out of State College Fair. More than 120 universities from across the world sent representatives to guide students in their college application decisions. The majority of students who attended the fair were juniors and seniors, though some freshmen and sophomores came to get an early start in the decision making process.

Ean Shields and Jake Pritchett are both seniors at Poudre High School, and they went to the college fair to look into colleges that they hadn’t considered. A soccer player, Shields already had Denver University at the top of his list, but he was concerned that his GPA wouldn’t be high enough for acceptance. He found several alternative options at the fair, and was relieved to know that he had a fallback plan after high school.

Mary Kreta is the director of admissions at University of Alaska Fairbanks. She believes that the most important thing students should do in high school to make their application stand out is to get involved. Kreta stated, “Being engaged, both in the classroom and in extracurriculars, really sets a student apart.” Colleges look for students who will not just perform well academically, but will be engaged and get involved in the university culture.

Emma Michaels, a junior at Fort Collins High School, knows that she wants to double major in business and performing arts. This was her first college fair, and she plans to come to future ones. She believes that the best part of the college fair setup was how knowledgeable the representatives were, feeling that they understood her questions and how to assuage her fears.

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Rachel Prince, a representative from the University of Arkansas, thinks that college fairs are important to exposing students to schools outside a thirty mile radius from their homes. Although the in-state tuition can help some students, Prince believes in finding the perfect fit for each teenager, which sometimes can require looking at schools that are farther away. She advises that students make sure to ask about reduced tuition and automatic scholarships that each school might provide.
Some of the tables at the college fair were dedicated to programs, rather than colleges. For example, the CSU ROTC program was there to provide information to any student looking for a unique college experience as well as reduced tuition.

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About the Contributor

Isabella Mahal, Head Copywriter

Despite all the warnings given to her, senior Isabella Mahal filled her schedule with AP classes and a single TA period. Many of these classes were only open to seniors and fascinate her, such as AP Literature and AP World History, so not having an off period doesn’t bother her. It isn’t just her school schedule that is full. Mahal fills her time with extracurricular activities like volunteering at the Humane Society, being the co-president of Fossil Ridge’s Spectrum, and being a member of the group Never Again NoCo that works to help end gun violence at schools.

If Mahal has some time to relax, she is spending it with her family and pets. Her younger brother, Sebastian, is a sophomore at Fossil, and they get McDonalds together in her free time. Her family dog, Gus, and her cat, Silverstein, help her wind down after a long day at school. Mahal loves hiking, biking, and hanging out in her hometown of Fort Collins. Although her music taste varies, she loves Counting Crows, The Front Bottoms, Duran Duran, and Modern Baseball.

Mahal never dreamt about spending all four years of high school in journalism, having joined the class to be with her best friend, Karen Manley. Due to their differing schedules, Mahal ended up alone in the class, which forced her to find her own place. She wrote academic and opinion pieces, adding movie and book reviews to her portfolio. After being the academic beat leader her sophomore and junior year, Mahal is now the head copy editor to round out her time in the class. Her dream school would be UC Berkeley, studying public or global health to one day possibly join the Peace Corps. Although Mahal isn’t pursuing journalism in the future, the class has become a window for her to find herself, and help others do the same. It's taught her about the students in the school whose voices aren’t always heard.

Mahal’s advice for incoming Journalism I students is to not be afraid to walk into an event or sport and be unsure about it, and to meet and talk with new people. People in clubs or sports that are less recognized are always appreciative of the recognition of their hard work. Even if you’re unsure about what you’re going to, you will definitely leave knowing more than before, and it’ll make you a more caring person to understand how everyone’s different experiences shape who they are. She loves the forum that journalism lends for people to understand the world around them, and she is a self-proclaimed “first amendment enthusiast”.