On April 23 from 6 to 8 p.m., Huntley High School held its second annual college fair.

With 150 colleges from across the nation represented by well-dressed and prepared admissions workers, the event drew a multitude of attendees from several high schools in the area.

Before attendees walked through the doors to the spacious field house, each was greeted with NHS volunteers handing out maps and a list of good potential questions to ask college representatives.

The HHS counselors who organized this event- Julie Atchley, Toni Klein, Julie French, Tanya Thomas, and Angela Daurer- made sure to prepare it in a way that was beneficial for students and parents alike.

“I think that what [this event] does is it opens opportunities,” Daurer said. “There are students who may have never heard of Texas Christian University or never heard of Governors State University. And this way, they’re [here] and you can ask questions… It’s an eye-opening experience.”

At this event, many students were able to gather more information about their dream colleges, colleges they have heard of, or colleges unknown to them. While slightly overwhelming, the amount of colleges helped present students with a broad variety of opportunities they, more-than-likely, would not have found anywhere else.

“I think it’s a good way to get students on the radar of the colleges, and they [are able to] start hearing from the colleges right away,” Daurer said. “Because [the parents] are nervous- especially about money- they can ask those questions right up front…so they can get a good idea of the colleges too.”

According to Daurer, the student turnout was at just under 500 one hour into the night. Because the previous year’s fair attracted over 600, she hoped to reach that same goal or beyond. This year, the total was 579.

Regardless if they were able to make that goal, there were hundreds of students and parents the event benefited, especially to those who have a career path in mind.

“I want to look at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; I’m looking at an Animal Science major there because I want to become a veterinarian,” sophomore Matthew Kim said. “[Overall], I like how there’s many colleges around, so you get a feel for everything… It helps people to plan out their future in a less stressful way.”