In order to help students start preparing for college earlier, ETHS held its first College Prep & Planning Night for Freshmen and Sophomores on Nov. 21           in the Auditorium.

Beth Arey, College & Career Coordinator, hosted the event, which was targeted towards freshmen, sophomores, and their parents.

“It’s important to start this process early because a lot of students and families have goals of going to college,” said Arey. “Students will not know what they need to know to go to the college that they want if they aren’t planning for college. We want to make sure that freshmen and sophomores know what they should be doing to have the most opportunities possible.”

The event, which is the first ever college prep event targeted towards freshmen and sophomores, came to be due to a recognition by the school that junior year may be too late to start college prep.

“Everything that we do in the College and Career Center is about fairness, access, and success,” said Arey. “If you don’t know what you need to know, then you don’t have access to it, and while we can provide students with access, we also want to make sure that they are successful, so all of those pieces are interlocking.”

“I think it is nice that we are learning about college early,” said Nancy Hollingsworth, freshman. “If you are planning for college and know what you want to do, then you can figure out what requirements are for that college.”

This event is one of three college prep events that will be open to freshmen and sophomores this year. In March, an “Intro to Financial Aid” event will be held in the Auditorium, with all grade levels invited.

In the same month, Arey and Post Secondary Counselor Michelle Vasquez will be conducting a presentation on Naviance in the Freshman Advisory Study Hall class.

“I would encourage parents to attend all of the events that we offer, and to make sure that they are aware of the events throughout the year by looking online at the activity calendar or by going to our website,” said Paula Miller, Associate Principal for Student Services.