Over 400 individuals attended the sixth-annual “Expect the Great” college and career fair on Saturday, November 5, at the University of Utah. The free event is a college and career awareness conference targeting members of the African, African-American and black communities to provide information, resources and other support to increase college participation, retention and graduation. Participants were able to choose between four workshop tracks:
- Current college students
- High school students
- Transfer/non-traditional students
- Community and family
Each track had workshops that included information on:
- Financial aid and scholarship information
- How to advocate for your child (for parents)
- Panels about college leadership, success, and careers
35 exhibitors attended, including employers such as Enterprise, FedEx, UPS, Goldman Sachs, IM Flash, L-3 Communications, Utah Transit Authority, and Zions Bank, along with representation from all USHE institutions.
This event has been part of a Utah System of Higher Education statewide effort for the past six years. It started with the leadership of Board of Regents Vice Chair France A. Davis seeking an outreach event to increase college access for African-American students. Regent Davis and Commissioner Dave Buhler gave opening remarks, and the keynote speaker was Dr. Bryan Hotchkins, Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University.
Dr. Bryan Hotckhins (right)
