Regional college fair coming to Pueblo on Saturday. Here's what you need to know

James Bartolo, The Pueblo Chieftain
·3 min read

Pueblo School District 60 is attempting something that's never been done before in Pueblo — a free, regional college fair featuring more than 45 colleges throughout the nation.

The first Pueblo and Southern Colorado College Fair will be held at the Pueblo Convention Center, 320 Central Main St., from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

Regional college fairs have been held in the Denver metro area and Colorado Springs, but this weekend's fair is the first of its magnitude in southern Colorado, according to Andrew Burns, Pueblo D60 executive director of student support services.

"We want to make sure that our students are college and career ready," Burns said. "This was an idea that was developed by our team internally to make sure that we are providing options for our students to consider once they graduate."

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Pueblo D60 has advertised the fair to fellow school districts in southern Colorado and surrounding areas. In addition to neighboring Pueblo County School District 70, Pueblo D60 also has reached out to districts in Buena Vista, Cañon City, Colorado Springs, Raton, Salida and Walsenburg.

At the fair, students and families will be able to talk to admissions counselors representing schools from California to Massachusetts. Counselors will be available to answer questions about admissions requirements, school programs, student life and financial aid options at their institutions.

Students and families also will be given a one-page flyer with questions to help guide conversations with admissions counselors. The questions on the flyers are designed to be appropriate not only for high school students, but also for seventh- and eighth-graders looking to get a head start on the college admissions process, Burns said.

Pueblo D60 has been working since January to get a range of two- and four-year institutions to participate in the college fair, and 49 schools are set to participate. Burns said the number is a "good size" for the district's inaugural fair but the district hopes to hold even larger fairs in the future.

"We really believe in strength in numbers," Burns said. "If more colleges show up, then more students show up."

Participating in-state colleges include:

  • Colorado College

  • Colorado Mesa University

  • Colorado Mountain College

  • Colorado State University

  • Colorado State University Pueblo

  • Metropolitan State University of Denver

  • Pueblo Community College

  • Regis University

  • United States Air Force Academy

  • University of Colorado Denver

  • University of Denver

  • University of Northern Colorado

  • Western Colorado University

Participating out-of-state colleges include:

  • High Point University

  • New Mexico State University

  • Northern Arizona University

  • Ohio University

  • South Dakota School of Mines & Technology

  • United States Military Academy West Point

  • University of Alabama

  • University of Kansas

  • University of Nebraska

  • University of New Mexico

  • University of Wyoming

  • Williams College

In addition to conversations with admissions counselors, students and families may attend presentations led by local experts, including:

  • a 10:10 a.m. talk on the college athletics recruiting process

  • a 10:30 a.m. discussion about college searching during junior and senior years of high school

  • an 11 a.m. talk on career and academic planning

  • an 11:30 a.m. talk on college readiness

  • a 12:30 p.m. presentation on writing college essays

Presentations will be given in English and translated into Spanish. The first 200 attendees of the college fair will receive a $25 gas voucher. Further questions may be directed to Pueblo D60 at 719-423-3520.

Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Free college fair coming to Pueblo this weekend. Here's what to know