More than 300 high school students from Jackson, Macon, Swain, Cherokee and Highlands filled Southwestern Community College’s Myers Auditorium Monday, Sept. 17, for the annual college fair.

Students like Rachel Hicks and Ashford Smith of Cherokee High School tried to visit all the college booths and selected information from several they were interested in. They also got their questions answered firsthand by representatives from the colleges.

Justin Pannell, left, of Smoky Mountain High School learned from SCC admissions officer Matthew Chadwick why Southwestern ranks #4 community college in the nation.