Newburyport High hosting college, career fair

Sep. 16—NEWBURYPORT — More than 100 colleges, universities and businesses will make themselves available to area high school students and their families when Newburyport High School hosts the Greater Essex County College and Career Fair later this month.

With the COVID-19 pandemic shifting more into an endemic, NHS college and career counselor Aaron Smith decided to get serious about this year's fair and has lined up 95 institutions of higher learning and more than a dozen community partners to fill the school's gymnasium Sept. 26 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Smith has been advising students about their post-high school futures ever since his position was created for the 2021-22 school year. He came to the city after spending several years working in college admissions at his alma mater, Curry College.

Although he organized a college and career fair last year, the event saw only 50 or so schools and businesses participate.

Smith said the free fair is open to everyone, including area high schoolers.

"This is for students, families, parents, anybody of all ages. I'm all about anybody who wants to come," he said.

Bentley University, Mount Holyoke College, the University of Vermont, Suffolk University, Wheaton College, Elon University and Fitchburg State University are among the colleges and universities that have committed to being a part of the college and career fair.

Community partner organizations, including Amazon, Munters Corp., Newburyport Bank, Anna Jaques Hospital and the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, will also be a part of the event.

"This isn't all about college," Smith said. "We are supporting the students, all through this process, whatever their decision. So I wanted to have some of our community partners who want to hire people right out of high school or are looking for interns. Whatever they might be looking for."

The U.S. Armed Forces, as well as Norwich University, will also be represented at the college and career fair.

Smith said he was well aware how difficult things can be for people working in the college admissions world, so the vendors at the Greater Essex County College and Career Fair will receive a free dinner from Giuseppe's sponsored by the Institution for Savings.

"I know what it is like to travel all day long, in and out of high schools and having to eat out at a fast-food restaurant on top of that is not great for you. So I'd like to give them a good feeling about Newburyport," he said.

Smith said the Institution for Savings meal sponsorship has also helped him to use a good deal of the money raised from vendor fees to create a scholarship for the high school's internship program.

Principal Andrew Wulf said the high school has hosted college fairs in the past but those would normally draw roughly 40 vendors.

"Aaron had a lot of familiarity with this, so he just took the ball and ran with it," he said.

Wulf added that the college and career fair has the potential to benefit students from all over Greater Newburyport.

"This is just a great thing for the region," he said.

Smith also teaches a career explorations seminar at Newburyport High School that earns students a college credit, thanks to a partnership with Middlesex Community College.

He said the recent lack of high school-aged workers in local stores and restaurants can, in many ways, still be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Parents are a little bit hesitant with letting their young adults go out and get a job," he said. "They're worried about them going out and getting COVID or even the things that they might have to do. We also see more students who have anxiety and are stressed about the workload and the other things they have going on in school. So, parents are focusing on getting them through school and getting good grades."

Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.