1,500 students from 30 different high schools attend College and Career Decision Day at State House

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Beginning with a march down Main Street, over 1,500 high school students from 30 different schools across the Midlands flocked to the SC State House for the 2nd annual College and Career Decision Day.

Organized by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, the event encourages students who are planning on attending colleges, universities, vocational or training programs, joining the military, or joining the general workforce.

Mascots from multiple schools attended as well including USC’s Cocky, Clemson University’s The Tiger, and University of South Carolina Beaufort’s Finnegan.

Students at the event seem to have mostly made up their minds.

“It was between USC and Claflin until I took a tour of Claflin and I was like yea, this is where I wanna be at,” says Orangeburg Wilkinson High School Senior Savion Williams.

“It was really between Claflin and Coastal Carolina and I picked Claflin,” says Orangeburg Wilkinson High School Senior Randall Grimes.

“I think I’m going to go to Aiken Tech first and then transfer to a university since it’s close to my house,” says Wagener-Salley High School Senior Kailey Fulmer.

Guest speakers at the rally included SC Dept. of Education Superintendent Ellen Weaver, and Governor Henry McMaster who gave the students some encouragement and advice.

“Don’t waste your time. Don’t get into trouble. Don’t do anything you have to apologize for. Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t do things just because everybody else is doing it. You don’t wanna put any obstacles in your path because right now there are none,” McMaster says.