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The Homeschool Career and College Fair held on Monday, Feb. 12 at Liberty Live Church saw a huge turnout of families and their kids. In the fair’s second year, the event saw 426 attendees (with 215 homeschooled teens) and 60 presenters from various career paths at the event, ranging from colleges, trade schools, and more.

During the packed fair, Homeschool Career and College Fair Co-Host Catherine Heckel talked about the fair in detail. 

“This year, we have about 60 presenters representing 10 colleges and trade schools. We have 25 plus businesses as well as about 20 individual careers ranging from culinary to funeral services, HVAC, mechanical engineering, and dentistry. You name it, we probably have it here or someone who could help the kids, and that is our goal,” Heckel said.

Heckel talked about how she and her fellow Homeschool Career and College Fair Co-Host Ellen E. Howard is part of a homeschool group and as homeschool moms themselves, they wanted to provide an opportunity for presenters to speak to homeschool children who normally don’t have a chance to participate in career days. Heckel talked about how homeschooled parents can support their children in furthering their career options.

“I would definitely encourage them if they’re on Facebook to join the group ‘Homeschooling in Hampton Roads.’ …It’s been a wealth of information for me in my 10 years [of ] homeschooling,” Heckel said. “A lot of our inspiration and our mentors came from that site and they help tell people events in the community, different colleges that are hosting, and even if you need help with the transcripts or you are trying to find a science class, you can ask any question on there and those are the ladies who are willing to help.”

On future goals for the Homeschool Career and College Fair, Heckel says that they hope to partner with the Homeschool Co-Op to help find a larger venue and have more volunteers.

“We’re so thankful for Liberty Live Church for donating the space. It’s all volunteer led, everyone gets to come for free, everyone gets to present for free. We want to keep it that way, we want it to be like a zero sum game. We just would need a little bit of more volunteer help in the coming years, but I think we’ll get it,” Heckel said.