By Jaleah Davis, Staff Writer
On Thursday Sept. 14, El Camino hosted the annual Historically Black College and Universities fair in the big gym for the first time. Junior and seniors throughout the entire San Juan district came to EC to explore different HBCUs outside of California.
The HBCU fair is a chance for not just African American students, but students of any background to become motivated to start thinking about college, from the application process to their college choices.
The whole HBCU fair was run by an organization by The United College Action Network. This non-profit organization provides students with opportunities to attend four year HBCUs.
Counselor Carly Vanalfen describes the different opportunities students gained from attending the fair.
“They actually [provided] college acceptances, scholarship opportunities and recruitment opportunities at the fair,” Vanalfen said. “That doesn’t happen at all the other college fairs.”
Not only did colleges offer acceptances and scholarship opportunities, but they accepted certain students on the spot.
Desiraye Boulware (‘24) was one of many seniors who was accepted to colleges on the spot. She was accepted into Langston University after applying that same day.
“It was actually pretty exciting,” said Boulware. “I’m going to still keep my options open but Langston is in my top 5.”
Approximately 20 college representatives were in attendance at the fair to network with other students and connect with them for further information on college opportunities and the colleges themselves.
Monet Green, a U-CAN staff member, graduated from the Wiley College in 2014, which was one of the many colleges in attendance. She is now a representative for the college.
Green explained why she wants students to look at HBCUs as an option for a college and the purpose behind the fair itself.
“I want you guys to look at the rich history of each HBCU,” she stated. “When you walk up to these tables these are real people who have graduated and had the experience that you would want for yourself.”
There are no HBCUS located in California; most of them are located in the south, which is a huge factor in deciding what college students would choose.
For more information on events like this, visit the EC official website.
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