On Tuesday, October 2, Poudre High School hosted a District Out-Of-State College Fair. The event featured two hundred booths lined up in the school’s main and auxiliary gyms representing colleges from across the country. From 6:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m., students from the entire district were invited to learn about universities and institutions of higher education spanning the nation.

Among these representatives was Elisa Krapcha, the assistant director of admission with Kansas University. “We attend this fair every year,” Krapcha stated. “We’ve attended for a long time, and we see lot of interest from students in this area. Krapcha described that the out-of-state college fair provides a convenient opportunity for students to investigate post-high school options farther afield from Colorado, and to seek out possibilities for their future. “It lets them know that there’s a lot of things out there, it’s okay to leave in-state, it’s okay to try something new.”

Krapcha described the evening in three words: “busy, inquisitive, and exciting.”

Another college representative running a booth among the many present was Gus McGiver, representing SUNY Cobleskill in Cobleskill, New York. When asked what brought Cobleskill to Fort Collins, his response was simple: “For you!” As he explained, “You have a great program here and it attracts a lot of similar minded students. That’s why every college in the country is scrambling down to you guys.”

Behind the attending students and enthusiastic representatives were the unseen operators of the event: Poudre High School students and staff. The event was run largely by student volunteers, who assisted in tasks such as handing out maps and water. Two such volunteers were Izzy and Ella Hicks, who were recruited from Poudre’s Student Council in order to meet a quarterly quota of volunteering hours. “I didn’t know other schools would be coming, so I think it’s cool that other schools are here,” Izzy explained, shining light onto some of the unique elements of the college fair. Ella, however, was more impressed by the sheer college turnout. “The amount of colleges that show up is cool,” she offered. “I wasn’t expecting so many. You can learn a lot about our options to go out of state.”

One college representative in particular, however, provided especially valuable insight into the nature of the event. Bryant Davis is traveling on a college fair circuit for Sierra Nevada College. “The food was healthier than most. A lot of salad options, pretty healthy sandwiches- good sandwiches too, good ingredients,” Davis expressed. “The food beforehand was awesome.”