One of the biggest college-career fairs hits the Coast

As students get closer to graduating many have their minds made up on what’s next after high school. What about the students who don’t know? News 25’s Gina Tomlinson was at D’Iberville High School’s college-career fair and talked with local students who are making the big decision on what’s ahead.
Over 1,300 students took steps toward what to do after they graduate from D’Iberville High School. It’s a future of uncertainty for some like high school senior Joshua Budinich, who is interested in astronomy, but is feeling the pressure in determining the space beyond graduation. “They would like to see us succeed and with that comes a lot of stress about our future in preparing for it and getting ready to get launched into the world.”
The college career fair at D’Iberville High School is one of the biggest on the Coast. The school raised the bar this year and added ten universities to Monday’s fair. Career Pathways Coordinator Gracie King said, “We have a lot of colleges, not just from Mississippi. We have some from Louisiana and Alabama.”
One of the hardest choices students say is deciding whether to go away to a university or stay home to study at a community college. High school junior Ginger Trochessett said, “I would prefer to say closer to home and not go far away because it is good to branch out and get new experiences, but I think I would just have a problem going away from home.”
Although the fair was a big window of opportunity for students to see what these different colleges have to offer, not everyone’s plan is college after graduation. High school junior Michael Smith said, “School’s not my thing. I just see myself going to military first and then college later.”
“We try to provide something for all the students, not just one type of student,” said King.
Students of all grades were welcome at the fair, but it’s the seniors that are on the fence about what’s next that school officials hope left with a better grasp on their future. “There are some colleges that I’ve seen here that I didn’t really know existed. It’s given me a lot to think about in looking them up and seeing more about what they’re about,” said Budinich.