COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. (March 20, 2024) — Columbia City High School hosted an annual College and Career Fair for Whitley County Students with more than 100 supportive adults from post-secondary and career options. 80 local and state partners in attendance.
Held at Columbia City High School 44 colleges and Universities and 45 industry partners met with Columbia City High School and Churubusco High School students. More than 400 students attended the College and Career Fair and visited with professionals within their areas of interest.
“The College and Career Fair is required for Columbia City High School students as part of their senior year essential experience. We know students don’t know what they don’t know so exposing them to industry professionals and the opportunity to network with colleges and career opportunities is invaluable. We appreciate the support of our business partners who create this experience for students,” said Lori Heuer, WCCS Talent Development Director.
Through essential experiences for our students, WCCS continues to develop experiences that will allow students to meet their future goals.
“When I visited with a college, they offered to get me hands on experience with nearly any animal I wanted to encourage my career goals. It was nice to know colleges are going to care for me after I leave CCHS, too,” said Avery Venable, Senior at Columbia City High School in Eagle Tech Academy.
Participating Colleges and Universities:
Community Foundation of Whitley County
Questa Education Foundation
Anderson University
Aquinas College
Ball State University
Bethel University
Butler University
Franklin College
Goshen College
Grace College
Hanover College
Holy Cross College
Huntington University
Huntington University- Nursing & Agricultural Studies
Indiana Army National Guard
Indiana Air National Guard
Indiana State University
Indiana Tech
Indiana University Fort Wayne
Indiana University Kokomo
Indiana University School of Medicine: Health Professions Programs
Indiana University South Bend
Indiana Wesleyan University
IU Indianapolis
Ivy Tech Community College
Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University
Lawrence Technological University
Manchester University
Marian University
Northern Michigan University
Ohio Northern University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Purdue Fort Wayne
Purdue University
Saint Mary's College
Taylor University
The Modern College of Design
Trine University
University of Indianapolis
University of Northwestern Ohio
University of Saint Francis
University of Southern Indiana
Valparaiso University
Wabash College
Western Michigan University
Participating Employers:
80/20 LLC
Ag Plus Inc.
Bowen Health Clinic
Brooks Construction Co., Inc.
Children’s Autism Center, Inc.
C&A Tool
Carpenter Union — Warsaw
ChromaSouce, Inc.
City Automall
City of Columbia City
City of Columbia City Parks and Recreation
DOT America Inc.
E&B Paving LLC
Jimmy John’s
Holiday Inn Express & Suites
Youth Services Bureau of Huntington County
Sheet Metal Workers Local 20
Milestone LP/Speedway Construction Products
Miners Real Estate
Jinnings Equipment
Micropulse, Inc.
Restoration Medical Polymers
Reign-Riley Construction
Registration Table
Steel Dynamics Inc.
Right-Riley
Fort Wayne TinCaps
Fort Wayne Metals
Novae
Paige’s Crossing
Parkview Health Systems
Youth Services Bureau of Huntington County
Ultra Maritime
PeopleLink Staffing
UBAC Bricklayers Local 4 IN/KY
Fox Products
ProFed Credit Union
Northeastern REMC
G&G Hauling and Excavating
STAR Financial Bank
Whitley County Health Department
Weigand Construction
“We saw great students today who are eager for their future employment opportunities and we can’t wait to employ Whitley County students,” said Wes Wolfe, SDI representative.
The College Fair was hosted by the Columbia City High School Counseling team.
“The college fair is a time to allow students to explore potential opportunities and expand their knowledge to what is available through post secondary education. We had a wide variety of representatives participate in the fair. From non for profit and military, to colleges from Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio,” said Rochelle Sears, CCHS School Counselor
Businesses are invited to partner with Columbia City High School to attend the College and Career Fair next year. Contact Lori Heuer at heuerla@wccsonline.com and learn more about our programming at wccsonline.com.
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Media Contact: Dr. Laura McDermott, mcdermottla@wccsonline.com