Students from all four high schools interacted with colleges from around the country during the RSD College Fair on Oct. 2.

More than 100 college representatives set up in the gyms to talk to students and answer their questions.

Students signed up before the event and were given a QR code to show to colleges. The representatives could scan the code to access the student’s name, grade and contact information for further connection after the fair.

Paula Ake, college counselor, worked with other counselors in the district to set up the college fair. 

“We hope they make connections with admissions reps and find schools that might be a good fit for them when they decide to apply to college, enlist in the military or start their careers,” Ake said.

The fair was designed to help students save time and money on countless college visits by bringing colleges to them, Ake said.

Da’shaun Anderson, junior, visited many of the tables at the fair but was most interested in the University of Kentucky and the University of Memphis. 

“If you go out of state, you see new people and get more opportunities and get introduced to new things,” Anderson said.

Anderson said attending the college fair helped him understand how competitive many colleges are and learn about classes he would like to take. Anderson would like to study architecture in college, he said, and is hoping to encourage his peers to pursue their interests as well.

“[Going to the fair] benefits students by opening their minds up to other opportunities outside of high school, and it’ll probably get them to go to college,” Anderson said.

Divya Muniyandi, senior, had already planned to apply to a few in-state colleges before the event, but said she is considering also adding a few out-of-state colleges to her list.

“Really putting yourself out there and gaining exposure helps you see what colleges you are actually interested in,” Muniyandi said.

Muniyandi said she would like to enter into the field of medicine, and her favorite tables were those of Washington University, University of Notre Dame and St. Louis University.

“I would encourage all underclassmen to go to a college fair, especially with a group of friends, and explore the colleges you might be interested in,” Muniyandi said.