Regional College Fair goes virtual this year, here’s what families should know

The Coachella Valley’s annual Regional College Fair is happening differently this year due to the pandemic.

In lieu of the traditional in-person college fair, there will be a series of virtual events planned to help students with the process.

“We have a group of partners in the Coachella Valley who have come together to make college and career information accessible to students across the valley,” said Kim McNulty, Vice-President of Regional Strategy, One Future Coachella Valley.

School districts are encouraging students and parents to check out this website: www.ntbweek.com. 

They say it's a ‘one-stop shop’ for everything parents and students should know about prepping for college and career. 

“It has resources available in English and in Spanish,” said McNulty. 

Each Wednesday, from 1:00-1:15 p.m. on this website, families can take part in a live interactive webinar on a different topic. 

“In the month of February it’s all focused on financial aid and FAFSA and what students need to do to get their financial aid applications submitted by March 2nd,” said McNulty. 

They say each webinar will be archived and available online for anyone who could not attend the live webinars.

Virtual office hours will also be hosted each Friday where parents and students can get their questions answered directly. 

The annual college fair is usually hosted at Agua Caliente, but since the event couldn’t happen in-person this year, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians helped launch and power this virtual platform instead. 

“We want to see our students in the Coachella Valley go to college, finish college and then come back and give back to the Coachella Valley when they’re done,” said Kate Anderson, Director of Public Relations, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. 

“This is really challenging but it’s going to pass. We want to help them set themselves up to continue their progress in the months ahead,” added McNulty.