High school students discover opportunities at Eastern Gateway Community College in Steubenville
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STEUBENVILLE -- Upwards of 450 high school students from a four-county area sampled the "The Game of Life" Friday -- or, at least, Gateway Community College's version of it.
Whether they understood the nod to the classic Milton Bradley board game or not, EGCC's Cristen Tarquinio figures it summed up what the college's annual "Gator Fest" is all about: Preparing young people to decide the path they'll take in life.
"We get them (to) the point where they choose a career or go to college," Tarquinio said. "EGCC is a perfect representation of that: We have WorkForce programs, that's quick training -- things like our CDL program, welding, phlebotomy. Then we have our one-year certificate programs, like medical assisting and practical nursing. We have Associate Degree programs, two-year programs where they can start a career -- nursing, for example. Or they can do one of our degrees that are meant to transfer to a four-year college or university where they can finish their bachelor degree. They can start college or start a career, we have all that at EGCC."
Students were able to get a taste of the wide range of educational opportunities EGCC offers, touring labs and talking directly to program directors to learn more about things like criminal justice and police academy. They even had a photo booth set up, she said.
"I think it showed students what we have to offer (with) our STEM program (welding, engineering, information technology), our health care programs, police academy, criminal justice, and a lot more," she said.
Gator Fest is intended to help the soon-to-be graduates figure out what route they want to take, she said. "We just open the door and let them do the tour, it's fun and informational," she said.
She figures about 500 guests came through campus Friday -- at least 465 students signed up, bringing with them guidance counselors and teachers.
"I love that the guidance counselors support this, giving kids every opportunity to see the differet programs that are available," Tarquinio added.
Participating were Steubenville, Edison, Indian Creek, Beaver Local, Toronto, Buckeye Local, Harrison Central, Bridgeport and Martins Ferry high schools and Jefferson County JVS.
Tarquinio said they also took pains to explain to them high school graduates who reside in Jefferson and Columbiana counties can claim two years of tuition-free education at EGCC through the Horizon Grant (for Jefferson County graduates) or the Gateway Grant (available to Columbiana County graduates). Students in those two counties graduating with at least a 2.5 GPA who enroll full-time by the fall immediately after their high school graduation are eligible for two years of free tuition. While the grants don't cover books and fees, Tarquinio said they're working on that, too.
"A lot of our classes have free books, too," she said. "It makes it easier for students to afford it, so they're not leaving with (a lot of) debt to pay. We're focused on making education affordable, we really are."