With the future years running through the minds of many upperclassmen, FC hosted their annual Fresno Christian College Fair in order to inform the student body, Sept. 23.

Over 30 different colleges set up their booths in the Ground Zero area during lunch. Each advertising the special programs and majors they offer, to get the attention of campus students.

Several Christian schools, as well as local colleges and universities, presented information to students about applying and events, such as school tours and class sit-ins.

Grand Canyon University (GCU) representative Nick Chandler had the opportunity to speak individually with each class before lunch during advisory period. Chandler found that students were more inclined to learn about GCU during the college fair after he spoke to each class.

“I think the hardest thing for colleges in general is if you haven’t heard of us, you won’t be as inclined to talk to us,” Chandler said. “Getting a chance to talk to everyone exposes people that normally wouldn’t have known about GCU to the opportunities we have, and to see if it might be a good fit.”

With college coming up soon for many seniors, as well as juniors, they are more apt to ask questions during the event. Freshman and sophomores were also invited to the fair, to get a better grasp on college. To set the atmosphere, a raffle drawing was available for students to win prizes. Students were able to obtain a ticket if they visited at least three booths, which would then be entered into the drawing.

Academic Adviser Michelle Warkentin hosted the campus to several more colleges than in previous years. She was excited to see the turnout of campus students and college representatives alike.

“I feel like the college fair went very well. We had a great turnout and it seemed to be a fun event for both students and college representatives,” Warkentin said. “The event ran smoothly and the raffle drawing was a huge hit! Each year we have been able to bring more colleges on our campus which is always an exciting thing.”

Even though the fair was set up to inform upperclassmen on a variety of colleges before applying, lowerclassmen were still able to get information to help ready them for the years ahead. Sophomore Timothy Melendez enjoyed getting to see the Christian colleges at the fair, as well as the various programs available.

“I think I have a better understanding of colleges after seeing some of the options at the fair today,” Melendez said. “I liked that there were a lot of Christian colleges and a wide variety of things to get involved with.”

After attending the campus fair, students were also able to attend the Buchanan National Christian College Fair which started in the evening from 6-8 p.m.. Even though both fairs featured Christian colleges, there were a select few schools only featured at Buchanan, and vice versa.

Alumna Emily Shakeshaft represented Paul Mitchell School to advertise to former school mates on the various programs available. Shakeshaft encourages students to look into applying Paul Mitchell School because of it’s stability within the beauty professions.

“Paul Mitchell is very different from many of the schools here today, being that it is a just a trade school,” Shakeshaft said. “If you get involved here [Paul Mitchell School] you will always have a job, because no matter how bad the economy is, women don’t stop getting their done and men don’t stop getting their hair cut.”

Senior Ivette Ibarra was able to get a sense of what college she wanted to apply to after attending the event. With college just around the corner, she felt that the fair was a lot more relatable compared to in years before.

“I had a broad idea of what colleges I wanted to attend, but now I have kind of narrowed down my options,” Ibarra said. “This year it was more real to me. This is what I have to think about since it’s my last year in high school, so I found it [college fair] a lot more relatable.”

Gabriela Siqueiros, Features Editor, and Sara Peterson, Editor-in-chief, also contributed to this article.

Follow The Feather via Twitter @thefeather, Instagram @thefeatheronline and Facebook @thefeatheronline. This writer can be reached via Twitter: @rynnking_

For more features, read the Sept. 24 article, Eldery Fresno resident uses talents to benefit community.