Journey to College: 1,000+ Students Convene for Collaborative College Fair

In May, our CollegeBound Initiative (CBI) team hosted their annual Collaborative College and Career Fair! Nearly 1,100 participants from CBI schools across New York City came together at the beautiful University of Mount St. Vincent campus. They met with 48 admissions representatives from various colleges, universities, and postsecondary pathways. The day-long event introduced students to a variety of public and private college options and connected them to resources on scholarships, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) networks, and other post-secondary opportunities.

A unique twist to the typical college fair where reps visit individual high schools, the Collaborative Fair allows students across our 26 CBI network schools to meet admissions representatives with their peers across the network and experience a slice of life on a college campus. Several high school groups took advantage of a campus tour to see the facilities – including a haunted castle on the grounds! – and hear from current college students about their experiences. Others also participated in an information session to learn more about the admissions process and overall programs offered at the hosting university.

How to Navigate a College Fair

CBI staff welcomed each group of students and offered advice before they entered the fair. “These are the college admissions reps who will be reading your future college applications,” said Ingrid Selman, Associate Director of CBI. “Make eye contact, and don’t be afraid to ask any questions.” Rob Robinson, Senior Managing Director of CBI, urged students to keep an open mind. “Talk to everyone. You never know which schools you’ll fall in love with. Ask them to show you the money and see how they can make it a reality for you to attend their institution.”

Alumni Advice for the Journey to College

The Collaborative College Fair also incorporated the wisdom of several CBI alumni! Elizabeth Bravo, a College Transition Coach (CTC) at Central Park East High School, was supporting the day’s event logistics. She advised students, “If you’re not sure what you want to study, ask the college reps what are the most popular majors in their schools.” Babson College rep – and CBI alumna! – Diana Flores shared, “CBI was so transformative when they arrived at my high school, Bronx Latin. There was a definite shift from ‘before CBI’ and ‘after CBI’ in the colleges that we were exposed to and encouraged to discover.” Now on the admissions side of the process, Diana has since arranged for trips of Bronx Latin students to visit Babson’s campus, in addition to her ongoing outreach to other high schools.

Thank You

Stephanie Narine, Associate Director of College Access, and the entire CBI team put in a lot of hard work to make this event a huge success, and it paid off! Thank you to all of our participating partners working with us to advance educational equity. We hope to see you again in the fall at different college fairs throughout the city!

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