Rescheduled college fair leads to high attendance of 29 colleges

Photo by Mekhi Wright ’23: Most of the colleges present at the fair gave “swag” like these pens.

Derby High School held its annual college fair on November 30, 2022. The college fair happens annually because it gives an opportunity for seniors to hear what college representatives have to offer from their school, but this is not just for seniors; it gives underclassmen a chance to start thinking about college and a decision they might want to make in the future.

Originally, this year’s college fair was supposed to happen in early October, but it was rescheduled because of electrical issues in the school, which caused students to be sent home early. On the bright side, the rescheduling allowed for a bigger turnout; there were 29 colleges that showed up at Derby High School the second time around. This complicated event couldn’t have been planned by just anyone. The people who planned this amazing fair were the guidance team: Holly Orazietti, Adam Baker, Jen Ostrosky, and Kim Petrafesa. 

Jen Ostrosky commented that the college fair “was very successful because it had to be rescheduled and then it had 30 colleges show up. One college’s rep said, ‘the students had some really good questions and were very engaged.'” 

The college fair had an amazing turnout from students too. The atmosphere in the gymnasium was filled with the excitement of students getting to speak to the college reps. Various branches of the military and some trade schools were present, too. As attendees walked in, they could see the students rushing to talk to their favorite college. This is what DHS student Sanai Santos ‘23 said: “ I like how many colleges showed up cause I got to see the college I really wanted to go to and I got to talk other colleges that I was thinking about applying to, it just gave me more options than my other choices.”

The college fair was a great success. Students had fun and took in all the information they could about college. Students could see what the future holds for them. We look forward to similar events in the future.