Students Connect with College Representatives During On-Campus Fair

Largest college fair in school history highlights opportunities for future graduates

Sofia Bordas, Cristina Mascarua, and Mannu Sanglez

October 3, 2025

Students explore booths at the college fair on Oct. 3, 2025, in the school gym, gathering information from visiting universities and programs. The room buzzes with energy as representatives hand out brochures and free merchandise.

The Prep campus hosted 75 colleges from across the country and abroad for its annual College Fair on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. Held in the gymnasium, the event provided high school students with an opportunity to connect with university representatives and explore a diverse range of academic programs.

Loyola University Chicago admissions representative and die-hard Swiftie Paloma Bruscato connects with students during the fair. “I hope to chat with some of your peers and students,” Bruscato said.

Paloma Bruscato, an admissions counselor and representative for Loyola University Chicago, hopes to give students the opportunities she had as a Florida native applying to college.

“I am an alum of Loyola, and I am from Orlando as well, so I have a really special connection with recruiting in Florida and getting kids exposed to Loyola,” Bruscato said.

Prior to the fair, counselors, including Academic Counselor Maria Carballo, helped set up and prepare students for the event. Carballo explained that she wanted students to feel confident approaching the representatives.

Academic Counselor Maria Carballo, who has been with Riviera since 2019, makes sure the event runs smoothly from start to finish. This year, Carballo and the counseling department added “Strive Scans” so students’ information could be directly accessed by representatives.

“We sent emails out to students with questions to ask the representatives. I think that sometimes that’s an uncomfortable—‘What do I ask? What do I say?’—but it’s more about just learning about the different colleges and universities, opening your mind a little bit to seeing different schools,” Carballo said.

Among the 75 colleges, a few stood out to students. Senior Aliza Vasconcello mentioned that Florida schools received a lot of attention, mainly due to in-state tuition aid and students wanting to stay close to home.

“UF, FIU, and FSU have a lot of lines,” Vasconcello said.

Students expressed their appreciation for the college fair, noting that it provides them with a broader range of options for their applications. Freshman Victoria Gorrin, who attended for the first time, found it to be a great aid in discovering new colleges.

“I got to know a lot of other colleges that I didn’t really know were an option for me,” Gorrin said.

Students also noticed the difference in participation and interest this year. Sophomore Patrick Castaneda said, “There are a lot more people coming out to the booths because last year I saw there wasn’t that much engagement… I definitely think juniors and seniors were approaching more colleges.”

There were more college representatives present this year, along with new additions to the fair, including personalized QR codes for each student. These codes allowed representatives to track demonstrated interest and access a digital copy of each student’s profile, which included background information, current GPA, and intended major.

Ohio University representative shares insightful college information with sophomore students. The opportunity for all grades, not just seniors, to experience the college fair exemplifies how students are being exposed to the admissions process as early as possible. (Cristina Mascarua)

Abby Rauch, assistant director of admissions for the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), noted that compared to college fairs in her hometown of Orlando, this event stood out for student engagement.

“This has been one of my favorites because the students are so prepared, have so many great questions, and they’re so passionate,” Rauch said.

College fairs provide a crucial opportunity for students to interact directly with college representatives, offering a personalized alternative to online research. These events build student confidence, allow them to practice communication skills with admissions officers, and provide a structured way to navigate the college application process. It is a pivotal step in exploring future academic possibilities.

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About the Contributors

Sofia Bordas, Editor-in-Chief

Senior Sofia Bordas is our Editor-in-Chief for the second year in a row, and has been at Riviera since sixth grade. She was in the inaugural multimedia class her freshman year and has helped the press grow extensively. Outside of the writing room she plays golf and participates in a number of service based clubs including her own community initiative EmpowHER. Although she plans to study law she feels that journalism specifically has added to her range of strengths adding, “I think writing is fundamental in all aspects of life.”

Cristina Mascarua, Content Editor

Senior Cristina Mascarua is beginning her third year in Multimedia and excited for another year of publishing in her new role as Content Editor. Her favorites pieces to write are features on new staff members and on trending topics. Outside of school, Mascarua spends most of her time at the barn either volunteering or riding horses, “Whenever I’m not riding, I am still in the arena teaching others how to ride or in the stalls cleaning”. This year she hopes to publish more stories and leave a positive impact behind, where others can remember the stories she wrote.

Mannu Sanglez, Senior Writer

Senior Mannu Sanglez, who has attended the school since sixth grade, is entering his first year on staff. On the weekends, he likes to go to the beautiful Miami beaches as well as go biking with his friends. Sanglez is excited for the upcoming school year, especially with the relief of being a senior. His main reason for joining the publication was to improve his writing skills, “I wanna learn how to write under pressure and in a time crunch.”