Schools
Westfield High School Hosts College Night
Representatives from approximately 200 colleges and universities were on hand to talk about their schools.
Students and their parents gathered at Thursday night for a College Night at which 200 colleges and universities were represented.
Maureen Mazzarese is the coordinator of counseling for Westfield Public Schools for grades K-12 and she was instrumental in organizing the College Night.
“This is the largest fair we’ve had in a long while," said Mazzarese. "We have had a wonderful response with a wide variety of colleges and universities from across the country being represented. There are schools here for students of all interests. It is also an excellent opportunity for us to connect with college representatives.”
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The schools included major universities, liberal arts colleges, state and private colleges, as well as military academies. With information from a range of educational institutions, students and parents were able to better understand curriculum choices, campus life, and educational costs.
Conversations about college majors, dormitories, sports teams, and community service could be heard as students and parents gathered brochures from each school’s table and spoke with the representatives.
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Wellesley College in Massachusetts was represented by one of their alumni, Judy Collins.
“For us, reaching as many young women as possible is important," she said. "Wellesley is a great institution of learning with a strong alumni association in the Westfield area.”
The fair was well attended by seniors whose college application deadlines are fast-approaching. The fair gave them additional opportunities to research schools and discover a good fit for their educational futures.
There were a number juniors attending as well. Eleventh-grader Alex Breakstone was there with his parents. He enjoyed the opportunity to gather information.
“I came to check out some of the colleges and get a jump on the process,” he said.
Junior Janet Morrison and her father Jay Gates attended the fair. Morrison said that they had come to look at the schools but both felt it was too early to make any choices.
Students and parents agreed the fair allowed them to gain information about opportunities in higher education by getting first hand information from representatives who were enthusiastic about their schools.
