The 28^th annual Medina County College and Career Fair was held on Wednesday, October 8, at the Medina Fairgrounds Community Center. Over 80 colleges and career-enhancing organizations from Ohio and nearby states participated. More than 300 students, parents, and educators also attended. In addition, helpful financial aid information was offered to all families in attendance, and representatives from several community resource organizations were also present. 

This year’s event was expanded to include more local businesses that offer training, further education, and internships. This provided more opportunities for students to “explore their future.” A list of participating organizations can be found at: www.medina-esc.org, “Special Events,” “College and Career Fair.” 

Listed below are some selected comments received from parents/students who attended:

- College and trade school representatives were very helpful and knowledgeable.

- Great information. Liked that out-of-state schools came.

- Was a great fair. Really loved talking to each school.

- I’m very glad I came out to go to this event, and thank you for having it.

- I was happy to talk to businesses and have the opportunity to apply to internships. 

Last year, the student “Education Passport” was a success. So again this year, students were offered this Bingo-type card, encouraging them to visit more participating exhibitors’ tables. Students then turned in their completed passport and received a prize from the ESC of Medina County. 

StriveScan, an optional feature, provides student-scanning technology. It enables students to quickly provide their information to colleges/universities of their choice. During the fair, students who opted to use StriveScan showed their barcode to organization representatives, who then scanned it to send students more information about their schools. The day after the fair, students received a report with information on the organizations with whom they scanned. 

We thank Medina County high school guidance counselors for their support in planning this event and for their commitment to furthering the education and career development of our county’s students. We also express our appreciation to the personnel at the Medina County Community Center for their on-site assistance. In addition, we commend the 20 students from the Medina County Career Center for volunteering their time to assist as ushers. 

The fair was coordinated by the Educational Service Center of Medina County and Medina County Economic Development Corporation. It was authorized by the Ohio Association for College Admission Counselors. For more information, contact Brenda Zacharias at [email protected].