Students urged to dream big at US, Canada College Fair

“We want our students to be able to dream big and see the opportunities they have for the future.”

This from teachers who brought students to the 20th annual College Fair at Hilton hotel on Saturday.

The event was jointly hosted by the US Embassy and the Canadian High Commission ends today.

There were 22 schools present from the US and 32 from Canada. And estimated 8,000 people were expected to visit the fair.

Speaking to Newsday on Saturday, Malabar Secondary teacher Antonia Wall said she wanted her students to get the opportunities she did after attending the college fair in 1995.

“It was because of that fair I attended a university in Florida. That’s where I met my school and the spark flew. The community they came from is a rough area and we wanted to stir in them the desire to dream big, expect more. So I believe by taking students to a college fair, just like it did for me, it will stir that on the inside for them.”

She said they had received donations for transportation and snack boxes, and she was grateful to those who gave the students the opportunity to have a brighter future.

Fyzabad Composite School teacher Raeshad Ali said he brought 20 of his form five and six students.

“I brought my students to the College Fair because I thought it would be a great opportunity for them to get to know other universities and programmes they offer, that could align to the areas they want to do in the future.”

The students present said they were there to get information on various topics. One girl said she was interested in computer science and wanted to find out what programmes were being offered, and what the requirements were. A boy said he was interested in engineering, and had attended the fair in 2022 as well to see what options were available. Another girl said she was there to expose herself to opportunities outside of TT.

Chelsea James, 16, from Malabar Secondary said the students were interested in seeing what the colleges in the two countries were like.

“We want to find out about the different types of colleges, and to see what we could learn about how to get into those colleges. I want to get into more material types of colleges, on the coasts, because I want to get into the Coast Guard.”

One student said he wanted to study psychology outside of TT and hoped to come back to do something to help the country, although he wasn’t exactly sure what that would be. Another said he had completed his undergraduate degree in physics at UWI, and wanted to do postgraduate work abroad. He said he came to the college fair for information he couldn’t find on the websites of the colleges he was interested in.

Fifteen-year-old Zadie Pascall said she was still in form three and came to get an insight into what the process was like.

“I’d like to see what colleges there are and to get an idea for my future. I’m looking at the medical field, I’m doing chemistry, physics and biology, the sciences.”

Presentation College student Matthew Indardao said he wanted to learn what scholarships were available and what testing scores he needed to get into them. He was interested in computer science and wanted to go to university in Texas.

US Ambassador Candace A Bond said informational sessions on how to apply to schools and how to fund entry, among others, would be available on the embassy’s website.

“It’s a great opportunity to learn about studying abroad. Coming to study in the US makes sense as you have shared cultural ties, history, you are native English speakers, and the rigour of the TT educational system prepares students to be able to study in the US. The colleges here are of all types, from community colleges to research institutions.

“The fact that you have invested in the educational system here for so long means you have some great students who are competitive for the US higher educational system.”

Canadian High Commissioner Arif Keshani echoed Bond’s statements, saying it was no secret that students from TT are truly high-calibre.

“Education is part of the fabric here, students, families, parents take it very seriously. We encourage the students to meet with many reps as possible, get to know about the schools, and ask questions. We also have staff here to talk about visas, immigration issues, and study permits.”

He said Canada had a multi-cultural population and a large Caribbean diaspora population, so people don’t feel like they’re going to a foreign country.

Asked if there was a difference between studying in the US or Canada, Keshani said education was an investment and a personal choice.

“Each family, each student has to look at the opportunities presented at the schools, academic programmes, lifestyle, quality of life, people like to be close to family, so where they have extended families as well, so these are factors that play into the choices made.”

Keshani said funding is a major element of decision-making, and the high calibre of TT students made them eligible for available scholarships. He said there were also financing options available. He said there was a post-graduate work permit programme which give students up to three years to work in Canada after completing their undergraduate degrees, and they had the option to work part-time while studying and full-time during breaks in the school year.