Published: November 03, 2009 08:32 am      

Careers in motion

College reps to recruit students at CHS tonight

More than 50 representatives from colleges, universities and career-tech institutes from in and around the state will be ready to greet prospective students at Cleburne High School’s College and Career Night, taking place tonight from 6-8.

The CHS commons and cafeteria areas will be lined with booths from the various schools, along with the military branches of service.

Parents will also receive information relating to financial aid, the FAFSA form, etc.

College and Career Night is a longtime project of the CHS counseling department. The activity has been expanded this year to include Wheat and Smith Middle School eighth-graders.

“Actually, this is something all middle school students can attend with their parents,” said CHS Counselor Walter Harris. “This is an activity for the whole family, siblings included. It’s never too early for students to get a feel for college, never too early for parents to begin checking things out. College and Career Night is a great opportunity for that.

“There have been students who have come to College and Career Night with no plans at all to continue with their education after they graduated from high school. I remember one student in particular who didn’t think he’d go on to college. But he had a good visit with a college representative and got excited. The next thing we knew, he’d applied and been accepted. He now has a degree from that school.”

Harris said College and Career Night is one of his favorite activities as a counselor. He enjoys seeing the student involvement and getting to work with the college representatives.

“This is always a fun night,” Harris said. “It is a good time for us, too, as counselors to touch base with college representatives and catch up on their latest information. We tell students it’s a great way to learn about the amazing educational opportunities available to them after high school. We believe they may find the school of their dreams.”