BANNING, CA – Banning High School students dressed up in college gear, completed college and career interest surveys and questionnaires and participated in a College and Career Fair during the annual Riverside County Office of Education College Kickoff Week.

The campaign, held Oct. 10-14, was designed by the county to prepare and motivate students for the future. During the event, ninth-through-12th-grade students had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with college and university representatives, military branches, law enforcement and various career technical education program advisors.

“Thank you to our Associated Student Body leaders, educators and custodial staff for working together to decorate our campus and classrooms, which inspire a college-going culture,” Banning High School counselor Joanna Soto said. “The College Kickoff was a huge success and I received great feedback from the college and career representatives, stating that all students were well-behaved and professional. I am proud of our scholars and know that their future is bright.”

As part of the campaign, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) club students received a college admissions and requirements presentation led by a University of California, Irvine recruiter, while 12th-grade students were offered resources to help complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

The week concluded with an anonymous post-event survey to attendees, administered by Soto, looking to gather feedback about the fair and improve the overall experience for future events. The survey included a fill-in-the-blank section for students to discuss their favorite part of Kickoff Week, with all responses providing positive comments about the College and Career Fair.

“My favorite part of the career fair was the electric diagram that one of the career representatives explained to me,” an anonymous student said. “The electrician led a few demonstrations and I left the fair with a new interest to explore.”

Along with the College and Career Fair, students benefited from a job fair in partnership with the school’s Academy of Business program on Oct. 20. The District plans to continue their collaboration and combine the events for the 2023-24 school year.

“Thank you to our Board of Trustees for your support and our administrators for organizing this vital networking opportunity for our students to explore career opportunities, meet prospective employers and practice professional behavior,” Superintendent Terrence Davis said. “Events like these are testaments to our District’s vision – to prepare, inspire and educate and I look forward to creating more learning opportunities that accelerate student achievement.”

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BAUSD_KICKOFFWEEK: Banning Unified students engage with the University of California, Riverside representative during the College and Career Fair on Oct. 13.