“Education is expensive, but you cannot afford notto go to college,” said Christine L. Winfield, community relations coordinator for the University of Missouri-Columbia, regarding the Martin Luther King, Jr. College Fair held Sunday at The Mt. Zion Baptist Church Christian Complex.
The college fair, sponsored by the University of Missouri-Columbia and the St. Louis Clergy Coalition, put a face on the difficulties n and advantages n of preparing young people for college.
“Many of the students that come to these fairs are first-generation college students,” said Winfield.
“By coming into the community, we feel that we can break down barriers and misconceptions they may have by giving these fairs a ‘personal’ touch.”
Christopher Shobe, an alumnus of Northwest Missouri State University, who works as a recruiter for his alma mater, offered some insight on the importance of the college fair.
“I’ve always recruited, even when I was in school,” said Shobe. “Going to these functions helps students get an early start on life.”
Shobe, who graduated from Northwest Missouri State with a bachelor’s of science in education, was also a music performance major. Shobe’s confidence seemed evident as many young students listened intently to him explain the value of a good education and the need to prepare both financially and mentally.
Shobe recruits mainly from St. Louis and urban areas in Kansas City, Mo. He felt that this was “absolutely necessary” for African Americans to get this information into their hands.
“We normally have about 40 fairs in the fall, because that’s the optimum time to recruit,” said Shobe.
“There are anywhere from 20-25 colleges represented here today. There have probably been between 150-200 students who have been through here today.”
Some of the schools represented were the University of Missouri-Columbia, Northwest Missouri State University, Southeast Missouri State University, Southwest Missouri State University, Harris-Stowe State College, the University of Missouri-Rolla, the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the University of Phoenix-St. Louis Campus, Park University (Kansas City, MO), St. Louis Community College and Saint Louis University.
For Christine L. Winfield of Mizzou, the Martin Luther King, Jr. College Fair accomplished several goals.
“We want the information to get out to the community, to satisfy a need and give the young people some exposure to the college experience,” said Winfield.
“By getting to know the process, they can get much needed financial aid. Missed opportunities happen because of a lack of knowledge.”
The college fair also served as a great community gathering. In between the interview questions, Winfield was greeted by several friends and associates with big hugs and smiles.
“I’m sorry, I just keep seeing so many people I know,” said Winfield.
Young people of all ages benefited from the college fair by picking up an assortment of pens, brochures, packets and pamphlets filled with information regarding the respective universities and colleges.
One young man, dressed in a Philadelphia Eagles’ # 5 jersey, seemed to visit every table and collect “souvenirs.” The young man’s father had to caution his son not to gather too much and had to remove some of the items from his already full bag.
A smile radiated from his face as he dragged the bulking bag from table to table, gathering academic treasures. This scenario personified the excitement of many of the young people in attendance.
“This a great opportunity for community outreach,” said Winfield. “We implement non-traditional methods to reach African-American students by teaming up with the Clergy Coalition, the Urban League and the NAACP.”