The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
More than 1,000 high school students ventured out to the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens on Somerset Street October 5 to meet with representatives of colleges and trades in the church’s second annual College Fair.
The goal of the event, said the Rev. Danté Quick, the church’s pastor, is to “expose young people to future opportunities around higher education and employment possibilities.”
The fair was attended by representatives from 35 higher education institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and University and primarily white institutions, Rev. Quick said.
But that was not all.
“Not everyone wants to go to college,” he said. “So we have an organization here that does solar skills training. We have middle/junior colleges for kids who may not have done very well in college but need two years to get back on their feet. We have the Frederick Douglass Academy from Princeton University for young people who are in high school but want to get academic enrichment.”
Also in attendance were representatives from the Franklin Township Police Department and the New Brunswick Fire Department, Rev. Quick said.
“It’s an amazing opportunity,” he said/ “Upstairs we have a financial aid workshop because, how do you pay for college?”
Rev. Quick said the college fair is a continuation of what he called “liberation activities.”
“Last week we did the expungement clinic,” he said. “This week we’re doing college. In a couple of months we’re going to do warrant clearance to help people get rid of warrants.”
“So we’re just attacking community with liberation activities, with love, with opportunities to grow.” he said. “That’s what it’s all about.”
“We’re gearing up to do a bus tour where we’ll take students on a tour of all the colleges up and down the East Coast,” Rev. Quick said.
“We have amazing lives,” he said. “If we just touch and change one life, we’ve done a miracle. And we’re here so that kids who don’t have parents who have been to college, this is their first access point. So we want them to be able to dream.”
“If they can dream, they’ll work towards it in high school and elementary school,” he said.
Following are some scenes from the event:
