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Education Fair connects troops with colleges

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jake Eckhardt
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  

More than 40 schools from across the country participated in "The Future is Now" education fair that was held at the Scott Club Aug. 8, 2014, at Scott Air Force Base.

Roland Smith, Education Center education manager, said, "We wanted to host an education fair with the theme of 'You don't wait to create a future; your future is now.' By communicating, discussing, and asking questions about the educational opportunities, you're making an investment in your future."

The fair was a one-stop shop for individuals to meet with college, university and educational agency representatives. College and university representatives were on hand to personally speak to attendees regarding degree specific courses, financial aid, school specific scholarships and grants, and how use of GI Bill benefits may allow members to attend college at the lowest cost possible. Most of the schools offer or specialize in multiple associate, bachelor, master, doctorate degrees and certificates.

Brian Lee, Columbia Southern University military outreach representative and a 29-year retired Army veteran, said, "This is great for our military. They can talk to different schools face-to-face and see what degrees are offered, so they can take the next step in their life."

As a person's education level increases, the unemployment rate decreases. The unemployment rate in 2013 for those with a high school diploma was 7.5 percent compared to a bachelor's degree which was 4 percent and a master's degree was 3.4 percent as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Senior Airman Allesha Groom, 375th Aerospace Medicine Squadron Public Health journeyman and future student, said, "I haven't decided on a degree program yet, so this was a great opportunity to see what classes would transfer. I was also able to see what degree plans each school had that I would be interested in. It was really helpful."

Schools and organizations represented are:

AF Reserve Officer Training Corps, Airman Family Readiness, American InterContinental University, American Military University, Army Reserve Officer Training Corps, Ashford University, Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing, Bellevue University, Community College of the Air Force, Chamberlain College of Nursing, Colorado Technical University, Columbia College-St. Louis, Columbia Southern University, Concordia University, DeVry University, Grand Canyon University, Harris-Stowe State University, Hickey College, Jefferson College, Jones International University, Kaplan University, Kaskaskia College, Lindenwood University, Maryville University, McKendree University, Missouri College, Park University, Scott Base Library, Scott Student Union, Southeast Missouri State University, Southern Illinois University -Carbondale, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Southwestern Illinois College, St. Louis University, SUNY Empire State College, Thomas Edison State College, Trident University, Troops to Teachers, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Washington University, and Webster University.

Smith said, "Everyone is becoming more and more aware that to be competitive in today's market, if you don't have what the next person has, you're going to be easily overlooked. Education is allowing you to be put into a position to where you're hard to be overlooked."