11/2/09

LRCC Hosts First Annual Lakes Region College Access Convention

Photo: Lakes Region Community College (LRCC) College Access Convention Panelist, Sam Redman (left), welcomes Belmont High School (BHS) sophomores, Samantha Wilson (center), and Desiree Smith (right), to the First Annual Lakes Region College Access Convention held Friday at LRCC. Redman; along with Rivier College Panelist, Aimee Bishop; and New England College Panelists, Heather Driscoll, and Alexa Cade; talked extensively with three different Lakes Region sophomore groups about their journeys to college at each of the schools.

Wilson and Smith were in the audience during the first panel discussion where they heard first-hand the experiences of Redman, Bishop, Driscoll, and Cade in their colleges of choice. Panelists helped promote the idea that college is possible for Lakes Region area sophomores who are now deciding how to approach their post-secondary experience.

"It was great to share my experiences with the students and encourage them to start preparing now for college," says Redman, who chose to attend LRCC at the last minute in the fall of 2008. "Financial aid is something that needs to be researched far sooner than months before classes start. The College Access Convention dealt extensively with monies available for two-year and four-year college and university students. Money should not be the most important issue in college choice."