College Fair

On Oct. 10, the annual Samo College Fair took place. Occurring from 6-8:30 p.m., this year’s fair was held in both the Cafeteria and South Gym. This ever-popular event has been expanded to over 150 colleges, a definite upgrade from last year’s 130. Students from all over the SMMUSD district took advantage of the College Fair.Alisa Bunting, a College Fair representative, elaborated on the background and history of this College Fair. “The College Fair has been around for 31 years. It used to be held in the Civic Center, when the fair held around 250 colleges. So five years ago, we brought it back to our campus,” Bunting said. Bunting described her responsibility in the improvement of this year’s fair. Additionally, she recognized Yolanda Lewis, Lisa Blodgett and Joan Krenik for their contributions to the College Fair.“I curate and manage the list of the colleges that attend every year. I communicate with all the colleges, to get 150 schools. I have the help of Yolanda and Lisa. Lisa handles the volunteers with Delians and ASB, while Yolanda coordinates both venues with the table rentals. Joan Krenik arranges all the food available,” Bunting said.Furthermore, Bunting illustrated how the 2017 Samo College differs from the previous years. “We’re becoming a well-oiled machine: better at curating our college list, accommodating more people, setting up, adding 12 more colleges and just establishing a more well-rounded place with a wide variety of schools,” Bunting said. “There’s a bunch of colleges for everybody.”Isabella Sandoval (’18) described what she hopes to gain from this College Fair, being a senior. “I’m just hoping to get more information about the different colleges available. I’ve been here before, but this year I’m focusing on the specific colleges I want to attend,” Sandoval said. Arya Shapouri (’19) also expanded on the numerous benefits of this event. “Since everyone has their first choice, this College Fair will give some insight on other options available. I’m going to attend with an open mind and to accept every choice there,” Shapouri said. On October 17, another opportunity for students to become exposed to colleges took place. At the Samo College Panel, representatives from UC, SMC, CSU and USC answered questions about their admissions process.