On Sunday, over 2,000 students and their families will take over the Aspen School District campus for the 15th annual Colorado Western Slope College Fair.<\/p>\n
But according to Kathy Klug, director of the fair and longtime local post-secondary education advocate<\/a>, college is a loose term.<\/p>\n \u201cWe try not to say \u2018Go to college,\u2019 but instead say \u2018Go to the place that\u2019s right for you,\u2019\u201d Klug said on Thursday morning. \u201cWe want kids to know that anything they do to advance their education past high school is college.\u201d<\/p>\n Surrounded by fliers and posters for the upcoming fair, Klug explained that many young adults think of going to college as going to a big or prestigious university and earning a four-year degree.<\/p>\n In reality, Klug said there are a number of practical ways for teens to pursue higher education\u2014whether it\u2019s through community college, a vocational program or a small liberal arts institution\u2014and showing students those ways in hopes they\u2019ll find the right \u201cfit or match\u201d is exactly what the annual college fair in Aspen is all about.<\/p>\n \u201cKids who find the right college home are more likely to stay there and graduate,\u201d Klug said. \u201cWe should script every high school graduate on the western slope of Colorado on the trajectory they want to be on.\u201d<\/p>\n Klug said 247 colleges, universities and programs will be represented by admissions officers on Sunday in a \u201ccircus tent\u201d set up on the Aspen School District campus.<\/p>\n Students and families from 82 high schools across the western slope will be able to meet officers at their booths and during over 25 unique workshops meant to help give students a better idea of post-high school life.<\/p>\n Some of this year\u2019s workshops will explore topics like financial aid, being a collegiate student athlete, standardized testing, benefits of a gap year and more.<\/p>\n Charlie Laube, one of Aspen High School\u2019s college counselor\u2019s, said he still remembers the students he spoke with during the Colorado Western Slope College Fair when he was working as an admissions officer for The College of Wooster in Ohio years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing here as a college representative showed me how invested this community is in education,\u201d Laube said. \u201cThe reps really do make connections with the kids here and have meaningful conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n Overall, Laube and Klug feel the fair is important for western slope ninth through twelfth graders to explore their higher education options and find what programs could help them fulfill their dreams.<\/p>\n \u201cI tell the students, get up and out of bed to meet your future,\u201d Klug said of Sunday\u2019s college fair. \u201cYour future is here, you just have to come and find it.\u201d<\/p>\n For more information, visit cwscollegeoutreach.org<\/a><\/p>\n