College & Career Fair Helps Thousands Of Students

College & Career Fair Helps Thousands Of Students

MIAMI (CBSMiami) — Many students know exactly what they want to do after high school, others are not so sure.

The mission of the 5th Annual College and Career Expo organized by 100 Black Men of South Florida and Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and sponsored by CBS4, is to give them the chance to learn about opportunities, and even get started with college applications now.

“I really want to go. No one in my family went to college so I want to be the first one in my family,” student Jermaine Anderson told CBS4’s Natalia Zea.

Three years ago Luyeye Mackabu lived in the Congo and didn’t know if he’d ever go to college. Now, he is meeting several admissions staffers in one day.

“To learn about colleges. I don’t know about colleges since I came from Africa,” he said.

Marisol Fernandez plans to go to college and then join the Coast Guard. She appreciates the opportunity for face-to-face contact with prospective recruiters.

“This definitely has a lot military-wise, job-wise, career-wise and then immediately after if you do want to go to college, it has a lot of opportunities for that as well,” said Fernandez.

She feels the event helps her fellow students who don’t know exactly what’s next for them.

“I know a bunch of my friends that are here today, and they’re like freaking out, we’re all seniors, they don’t know what they’re doing…so this will really help them,”said Fernandez.

There were many career options at the fair, including some students may never have considered.

From funeral services to cosmetology to working at CBS4, and college, the more than 5,000 students who participated have options.

“This provides an outlet for kids, give them the opportunity to look beyond where they are today,” explained Valtena Brown, Deputy Superintendent of Miami-Dade Schools.

Those options mean everything to Mackabu.

“I love this country. As soon as you finish high school, you go to college and they do things for you, it’s better for me to study here,” said Mackabu.

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