An educational journey might require resources not all students know how to find.
UNM's Equal Opportunity Center, partnered with colleges and universities, will present that information tonight at an education fair.
The fair is designed primarily for nontraditional students and those who didn't anticipate attending college, but anyone can attend, said Ivan Olay, UNM Special Programs student adviser.
"They can see they have options, financial aid and resources, so they don't see the obstacles, but the opportunities they can have," he said.
Sharing her success story as a guest speaker will be Terri Flowerday, assistant professor in UNM's College of Education.
Flowerday dropped out of high school and went on to get her GED and three degrees, including a Ph.D. in educational psychology.
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"I was motivated, No. 1, by not wanting to work as a waitress the rest of my life," she said. "I wanted my daughters to see me going to school, to be a role model, and I wanted them to go to college someday."
She said she was chosen as a guest speaker because she had the same barriers others at the fair might have and wants to stress that success is attainable.
"It is an awesome success story," Olay said. "We want to show people that if they really want to pursue this, they can."
Representatives will be on hand from NMSU, New Mexico Highlands University, TVI, the Southwest Health Institute, Apollo College and GED programs, among others. Olay said the plan is for students to get a jump-start on the processes involved in earning a bachelor's degree.
Upward Bound, the College Assistance Migrant Program, African-American and American-Indian Student Services, Admissions, Special Programs, the High School Equivalency Program and the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program will represent UNM.
Because financial aid is always a big issue, Olay said that was not overlooked, as people from the Lottery Scholarship, UNM financial aid, the Commission on Higher Education and N.M. State Loans will also be at the event.
Olay said part of brainstorming for the fair was to put a focus on how to reach out to the community. With transportation as an obstacle, he said the fair was put together for the founding communities of the center, but if successful, he plans to promote it several times a year throughout the city at various community centers.
"We want to go where the community is," Olay said.
Tonight's education fair will be at the Alamosa Community Center at 6900 Gonzales Rd. from 4 to 6 p.m.
