LPS high school students explore futures at college fairs
October 9, 2024
junior Elayna knew exactly what she wanted to do when she entered the doors of Prasch Gym for the school’s fall college fair.
The first part of her plan was finding colleges that offered her preferred academic programs of pre-veterinary medicine and pre-dentistry.
The second checkmark on her list was learning if those schools sponsored swimming teams that she could compete on as a college student.
And finally, once those two goals were completed, she wanted to discover as much information as possible about financial aid, merit-based scholarships and opportunities for campus visits.
Hundreds of 51视频 students shared Elayna’s future-seeking story at college fairs this fall. Southeast held the first of eight fairs that included colleges, universities, trade schools and military institutions from across the United States. The weeklong series included stops at , , , , , and Southeast Community College.
Elayna said she was pleased with how her morning was going. She visited with representatives from three Midwest universities during the first 15 minutes of the fair. She was happy to learn that all three would be potential sites for her to explore.
“It’s been great,” Elayna said. “I’m really glad I’m here. I’ve been able to talk with a lot of good schools already.”
Fellow Southeast junior Lauren also said she was excited about the experience. She joined her friend Tatum as they walked along the first row of tables spread across the gym floor.
“In our classes we’ve talked about what type of questions we can ask and what to look for at the fair,” Lauren said. “It’s been really good. I was able to research some of the schools I’m interested in before coming here, which I think is helping a lot.”
Kelley Winter and other members of said those stories illustrate the importance of the college fairs. Southeast has held fairs on campus for the past four years. Participation numbers have skyrocketed from pre-2020 events that took place at an off-campus site on weekends. Winter said approximately 400 Southeast juniors and seniors attended this year’s fair.
“We’ve had great feedback from students on having it here at school,” Winter said. “They love the convenience of being able to walk around and talk with everyone here during the school day. I think it’s been a great thing for them. I know there have been a lot of kids who have benefited from this.”
College representatives like Blenda Haxhiu said the fairs have been instrumental in connecting students with post-secondary options they may not have known about beforehand. Haxhiu traveled three hours from her out-of-state university to speak with LPS students throughout the week.
“It’s so important,” Haxhiu said. “To get to have face-to-face conversations with students is something that you can’t match. It’s such a great thing for everyone. That’s why I really love coming to fairs like this.”
The college fairs are even more important this year due to a new Nebraska law regarding the . requires all public high school students to either complete or opt out of filing a FAFSA form to graduate.
Students must fill out a FAFSA to receive financial aid from colleges and universities. The newest FAFSA will be available for students to complete in December. The form helps students .
Winter and other Southeast counselors plan to get the word out about the FAFSA in many ways. They will be sending messages to families of seniors and will be hosting senior meetings at school. A weekly online newsletter to seniors provides information about free FAFSA webinars, and includes many links to post-secondary planning resources.
Lauren and Elayna both said that information has made a difference. Counselors offer a monthly online newsletter for juniors that includes the same type of helpful advice that they give to seniors.
“We’ve learned a lot about FAFSA and what we need to do with it,” Lauren said. “We’ve learned that there’s a lot of money available for going to college. The biggest thing you have to do is try for it and send in your applications.”
“It’s been nice learning about things like merit-based scholarships and how schools offer financial aid,” Elayna said. “That’s been really helpful.”
LPS has created with a large amount of information about the process. It includes many facts about FAFSA and how it benefits students. It also features multiple links to resources that students can use to complete the form.
Winter said all of the Knights who attended Southeast’s college fair have taken the first steps toward their successful post-graduation pathways.
“They get to learn about scholarship opportunities, they get to meet with people from all over the country, and they get to see that their future is right there waiting for them,” Winter said. “It’s really cool to watch all of the students when they’re here. You can tell that they understand that there are a lot of good things in store for them in life.”
LPS seniors must complete the FAFSA for graduation by April 18, 2025.
To learn more about the FAFSA and available resources, visit our website at .
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Published: October 9, 2024, Updated: October 11, 2024
Southeast High School students gather around a table to listen to a college representative speak about her school. Approximately 400 juniors and seniors at Southeast visited with dozens of schools during the college fair. Seven LPS high schools held college fairs this fall to help students learn more about their post-graduation options.
