Flathead High School was bustling with a steady flow of juniors and seniors looking toward their future Thursday morning as they ventured through one of the largest college fairs in the state.

Amy Leary, Montana Post Secondary Educational Opportunities Council executive director, estimated 1,500 people attended. Kalispell was the last stop on a statewide college fair tour organized by the council and sponsored by the high school and Flathead Valley Community College.

Thirteen high schools in the western region of the state were invited to attend the free event, including parents and community members. Students came from local schools and as far away as Noxon.

Approximately 83 in-state and out-of-state colleges, universities, technical and trade schools and military branches were represented at the fair. Of that number, about 25 were Montana institutions.

Admissions representatives were busy answering questions about academics and campus life.

Cindy Allen, Flathead High School career center manager and site coordinator for the Kalispell college fair, said it was an opportunity for students to meet one-on-one with college representatives and get their questions answered. For some students it may be their only opportunity.

“We encourage students to do college visits and college campus tours, but for some it may be their only chance to talk to a college representative. Some students just don’t have the finances or availability to do that, particularly if the college is out of state,” Allen said.

Allen said she hoped the college fair will motivate students who thought college wasn’t a possibility before.

“I hope it sparks some interest, that ‘Hey, I can do this. I can go to college,’ and give them that exposure to other options such as a trade school or technical school,” she said.

With a University of Montana sweater draped over her arm, Kennedy Brown, a junior at Flathead High School, was one of the students exploring her options in postsecondary education.

“I’m mainly looking at cosmetology,” Brown said, adding that she found out there were more options available to her than she previously thought. “I didn’t know that Spokane [Community] College had a cosmetology program. I can go to a lot more places than I thought.”

Bigfork High School junior Russel Goeden was exploring what majors are out there related to his interests. One of the stops he made was at the University of Montana booth, where he asked university Admissions Counselor Devin Carpenter about the school’s physics and science program.

“I’m leaning toward science. I’m not quite sure what I want to do,” Goeden said.

Carpenter said students primarily want to know if the school has a particular academic program and want to find out more about the application process and scholarship opportunities.

Over at the Montana State University booth, Glacier High School juniors Hannah Andrews and Katie Christensen were getting more specific information. Both had visited college campuses before and both knew what they wanted to major in. Andrews said the fair was helping her narrow down her options as she learned more about what college programs offer in veterinary medicine. Christensen, who wants to go into nursing, was zeroing in on several in-state and out-of-state colleges and visiting their booths to ask questions about job prospects for graduates.

“I’m really weighing my options today,” Christensen said. “I’m asking questions like, what is the employment rate of graduates; am I going to find a job after I graduate; questions like that.”

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at [email protected].