After a day of riding the roller coasters and exploring Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando, 22 high school students from the Seminole Tribe attended a college fair in Orlando with the tribe’s Education Department staff Oct. 22.

Students learned about various schools and what their futures could hold at the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) fair. Representatives from 180 colleges and universities were on hand to explain what their schools had to offer and answer students’ questions about higher education.

Caidence Guzman Billie, a senior at the Sagemont School in Weston, wanted to see different schools in Florida. She is most interested in culinary programs and said Keiser University in West Palm Beach and Florida International University in Miami stood out the most because of their world renowned reputations in the field. Guzman Billie said she sees herself going to college and will likely attend one of those schools.

Jaylee Jimmie, a senior at the Ahfachkee School in Big Cypress, was glad to learn about all of the opportunities, the size of the schools, acceptance rates and campus life.

“There were a few art colleges that caught my interest, including SCAD (Savanah College of Art and Design), Full Sail and Salem State University in Massachusetts,” Jimmie said. “I also talked to someone about international programs. The major I’m interested in is fine arts, game art and illustration.”

Students also attended a college readiness and student success workshop moderated by Austin McDonald, program director at the Florida State University’s Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE), which helps students acclimate to campus life. Its mission is to contribute to the successful retention and graduation of students who have been traditionally underrepresented in higher education.

“The workshop was very informative and encouraging about going to college,” Jimmie said. “The presenter was very interactive with the crowd. Everyone listened and paid attention.”

Kenna Martinez also said the CARE presentation was helpful.

“The speaker was really good and told us some basic advice,” said Martinez, a senior at Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers. “He told us to have a plan, make sure we know who we are and what we are good at, and be confident in your plan.”

Martinez has attended other college fairs with her high school, but learned more from this one. She was also glad so many colleges from all over the country were represented.

“I explored colleges I never heard of. It opened my options,” she said. “Now I’m looking at Texas Tech University. I’m interested in engineering and they mentioned that they require abroad study and I want to travel. I’m also looking at FSU.”

The leisure portion of the trip saw the students split into small groups with a chaperone for the day at Islands of Adventure on Oct. 21.

“I enjoyed the chaperones and staff. They made it a lot of fun and I think everyone had a good time,” Martinez said.