On January 30, 2023, Coronado High School held its first annual college and career fair. Freshman, sophomores and juniors had to report to campus at 8:30 am as usual; seniors got to arrive at 9:30.
Speakers & Presentations
The plan for the morning, from 8:30 to 11:35, was meticulously set for each grade level. In total there were three different rotations. Freshman and sophomores started out in the gym to hear from a guest speaker. The speaker, Steve Ward, made his main point clear from the beginning with the question, “What is my purpose?” Ward, a motivational speaker, talked to the audience for an hour about how we all have intrinsic and extrinsic motivations throughout our lives. Students were asked to look inward and think about what makes them want to succeed. Ward reiterated how Generation Z is mass-consumption generation. Students were reminded that they need to keep the proper mindset of success in mind and not just think about money for their future careers.
Juniors started their day in the Black Box theater for a counseling presentation. All of the Coronado High School counselors spoke about information that these rising seniors should keep in mind. As well as talking about classes, they gave info on the SAT/ACT, college application process, SCOIR (the platform used to put college application materials on), and career aptitude tests. Finally, counselors distributed class selection sheets for students to choose their classes for next year. While the class of 2024 heard the counselors’ presentation first, the freshman and sophomores also had a chance to hear from the CHS counselors later in the morning.
College & Career Fair
The most anticipated event was the actual fair. This was held in the 400 building hall and the Coronado High library. There were over 15 four-year universities present. Representatives from Penn State, San Diego State University, Hawai’i Pacific University, and more were in attendance. The college representatives gave out flyers, merchandise, and informational pamphlets. In addition to the four-year universities, there were community colleges, like Mesa and City College, and alternate colleges, like the New School of Architecture and Design and Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Also represented were the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard for those interested or curious about military service.
The class of 2023 seniors were welcome to attend the college and career fair to visit with the representatives, but only their attendance at the guest speaker assembly was a requirement. If seniors did not want to attend the fair, there were optional workshops to attend on subjects like financial aid, life after applying to college, and the community college path.
All in all, it seemed to be a great experience for all grade levels and a valuable new yearly event.
RELATED recap by CUSD:
