A Day of Opportunity

On May 22, Grand Terrace High School turned their gymnasium into the 2nd Annual College and Career Fair. Celina Hernandez, the Career ROP Guidance Specialist spent a months planning the event. The counseling center was a crucial component in putting on the fair. This year, teachers and other faculty were asked to reach out to personal contacts. This year's event brought out a total of 40 representatives from universities, companies, and military branches. All guests, presenters, and representatives were welcomed with a continental breakfast and lunch. Throughout the day, students of every grade were scheduled to enter the fair with their English or Social Studies class. Representatives were set up with booths in the gymnasium while presentations were running all day in the library. Speakers included The Voice stylist, Jesse J, who was born and raised in Colton along with Harvard graduate and motivational speaker, Dan Flores. The point of these fairs are "to give students options for life after high school," Hernandez said, "even if students aren't graduating, it provides a window of opportunity to see what's out there." Sergeant Cesar Ayala, a Marine recruiter, who goes out to Grand Terrace High School every week, also expressed how rewarding it is to give kids a promising future. The ROP student ambassadors were also a a large part of making the career fair a success. Hernandez described them as the "hostess with the mostest." With so much going on, the student ambassadors were essentially the right-hand, especially the day of the fair. With the help of Q104.7 FM, Mike Posner was brought to the school to speak to the students. At the end of the day, Posner performed a few songs and brought along surprise guest artist, Allen Paris, also known as Jah-Free. With hundreds of young adults deciding where to go next, staff and students agreed that the event was perfectly timed with graduation just around the bend.