Promise Corps CCAs from all four schools have had a very eventful fair season! To kick it off, West Philadelphia High School had a career fair held during the school day that all juniors and seniors attended on October 30th. Randal E. Toby, founder of the Magnificent Men Mentor Group, came to speak about resumes, careers, and internships. All types of employers came to meet our students. Places like Toyota, Philadelphia Fire Department, Grassroots Campaigns, Fresh Grocer, and some local gyms came by. Students had the opportunity to sign up for interviews and learn about different positions each place offered. Students were definitely prepared due to the Pizza Prep party held about a week prior where students got resumes reviewed and had practice speed-interviewing!

The next fair on the calendar was the HBCU College Fair held at the School District building on November 14th. Students from all over Philadelphia gathered to get help with their FAFSA, learn about schools, ask questions, and even gain access to on-site admissions! The fair was attended by historically black colleges and universities like: Lincoln University, Howard University, Spelman University, Delaware State University, and many others. West Philadelphia High School had students accepted to two schools at the event. Some students were even granted scholarships, but all of the students had a lot of fun!

The school district building held another fair on November 26th called the PASSHE Fair. Since PASSHE stands for Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, the college fair was attended by Pennsylvania State schools such as: Cheney University, East Stroudsburg University, West Chester University, and many others. Students were able to learn about state schools while also having the opportunity to get on-site admissions!

The last fair on the calendar was the Meet the MAC (Multicultural Admissions Counselors) College Fair also held at the school district building on December 3rd! This fair was attended by different schools such as: Alvernia University, Delaware Valley University, Misericordia University, and a few others. The Meet the MAC fair also had a presentation from Ron Felder, Philadelphia’s PHEAA representative, about “How to Make a Small Private School Education Affordable.” Representatives from Wells Fargo also came to teach students about financial literacy and how to fund their education.

Our College and Career Ambassadors are definitely tired after fair season. However, one thing is for sure, they had a blast!! Seeing students getting accepted on-site at so many schools, making connections with different schools for future programs, and learning about how to afford education made everything worth it!