By James Cochran, Photo Editor
From August 25th through the 29th, Pellissippi State Community College hosted an engagement fair at all three campuses to start the Fall 2025 semester, showing the various clubs and opportunities offered. The Strawberry Plains campus kicked off the fair on August 25th, followed by the Hardin Valley campus on the 27th and Blount County closing the fair on the 28th.
The Hardin Valley campus’ engagement fair was held both outside of the courtyard and inside the J.L. Goins Administration building. To participate in the fair, students had to sign in at the courtyard with their Student ID number on a laptop and then they were handed a card with three spaces for stamps.
Students could talk to Pellissippi State’s President L. Anthony Wise Jr. and ask anything about the college: a perfect opportunity for a student’s voice to be heard regarding any ideas or concerns to make the college experience better. For students that wanted to know about managing finances, Regions Bank had a table and offered some really helpful information. Students could ask about how to get student loans, or just some general questions like how to make a successful savings plan. A table dedicated to the Student Employment Program (SEP) promoted the college’s employment opportunities available, allowing students interested in showing their creativity to directly sign up for the creative writing club and the art club.
Most of the tables had some free items, such as stickers, snacks, and even some Pellissippi State themed tape measures. Once students were done looking at the tables and got all three stamps, they could get a hot dog and either a salted pretzel or a cinnamon sugar pretzel.
It was a really fun and informative event; I enjoyed being out there and seeing a wide variety of interests and career opportunities, along with some really neat clubs that students could sign up for right at the table. It was good to see tables dedicated to a few of the upcoming and fun events that will happen throughout the semester. There was something for everyone there, whether it was for learning about what clubs are offered, getting information about some job opportunities, or hanging out and grabbing some food.
