Westchester Middle School Students Get Exposed to College Access

Joanne Razzano

Nearly 2,000 middle school students from school districts in Westchester County converged in White Plains recently as they attended the third annual Westchester County Middle School College Fair, an event geared toward districts with underrepresented populations including Yonkers, New Rochelle, Port Chester, Tarrytown, Elmsford, Greenburgh and Peekskill. Traditionally targeted at high school students, this year’s fair was organized to create early awareness among younger students.

Linda Bridgewater and Robin Chase, HESC customer service representatives, attended the fair.

“College Access Challenge Grant funds from the federal government were used to pay for bussing the students to the college fair,” Bridgewater said.

“All the students were armed with questionnaires developed by their guidance counselors,” she continued. “The kids went from booth to booth getting the answers to the questions, which helped them get a sense of what going to college is all about.”

“Programs like this encourage early awareness of college and is important to student success throughout high school,” said Bridgewater.

HESC’s presence at the college fair assures students and families that college can be affordable, thanks to State and federal grants, scholarships and other forms of financial aid. Bridgewater and Chase are available to answer questions to everyone who stops by the HESC booth; the students’ questionnaires included questions about college financial aid options.

“The HESC booth is a first-stop at many college fairs,” Bridgewater said. “And, every student at this fair was carrying a HESC bag.”