Nearly 250 Latino high school students from six Lake County schools attended a two-day career fair meant to educate the students about their post-secondary options and connecting them with working professionals.

The Positive Pathways event, hosted by the Fort Wayne-based nonprofit Latinos Count, took place at Purdue University Northwest’s Hammond campus with around 60 students from both Hammond high schools attending on Thursday, and nearly 180 students from Whiting, Highland, East Chicago Central, and River Forest high schools showing up on Friday, according to Steve Corona, the executive director for Latinos Count.

Corona said the two primary goals of the event were to increase the college-going rate of Latino students and to help them figure out their strategy after high school.

“It’s about choices, it’s about opening eyes,” he said. “It’s about exposing kids to what we refer to as Positive Pathways.”

Those pathways include attending college, but additionally entering trade school, enlisting in the armed forces, entering the workforce, or starting a business.

“My guess is that what they hear at school is [only] college and not more than that. So what we do is talk about those other options,” said Corona.

During the job fair, students had the opportunity to speak with representatives from the local higher education institutions, local businesses, the U.S. Army, and construction trade professionals.

Additionally, students engaged in small group discussions with “Latino Champions,” working professionals from various career areas — ranging from utility workers to a former college chancellor — who discussed with the students their life stories since high school, and talked about their achievements but also their struggles and overcoming barriers.

“It’s motivation [and] inspirations from somebody who looks just like them,” Corona said.

Aaron Robles, the program director for Latinos Count, said the event was also a good networking opportunity.

Robles, a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — or DACA — program, said given his status as an undocumented immigrant as a child, he was unable to do things such as get his driver’s license or apply for college. Therefore, he began doing freelance graphic design work and eventually started his own graphic design company.

Since then, Robles has expanded his business ventures to include real estate and the restaurant industry.

He credits one of his high school instructors for helping guide him to opportunities he and his family weren’t aware of, and giving him the best piece of advice he has gotten, which was networking.

“The number one thing [is to] just know people,” Robles said. “That’s the difference between those who make a lot of money and those who don’t.”

Alyssa Garcia, a student at Morton High School in Hammond, said she took advantage of reaching out to the Latino Champion mentors for help during their small-group discussions.

“I want more chances to try and figure out what I want to do in life,” she said.

Garcia said going to college is one of her goals after high school because of her interest in going into the medical field.