A free college fair lands in Southwest Detroit this Saturday, April 18, giving Latino students and families a direct path to college guidance, financial aid help, and bilingual support under one roof.
The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Detroit is hosting its 5th Annual College Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Western International High School, 1500 Scotten St. The event is free and open to students and families at all stages of the college process, from eighth graders thinking ahead to seniors still weighing their options.
“This college fair is about access, opportunity, and support,” said Maridy Mazaira, president of SHPE Detroit. “For many Latino students and families the college process can feel confusing or overwhelming, especially for first-generation families.”
What’s on the table
The fair doesn’t just line up college banners and brochures. Organizers have built in bilingual workshops covering the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, better known as FAFSA, along with sessions on financial aid options and how the application process works. Representatives from colleges, universities, and community organizations will be available throughout the four-hour window to answer questions directly, in English or Spanish.
That bilingual component isn’t incidental. It’s the whole point.
Mazaira told Bridge Detroit that many families don’t show up to traditional college fairs because of cost, language barriers, or because they aren’t sure how the process even works. SHPE Detroit’s goal is to close that gap with something that feels accessible rather than intimidating.
The event also includes STEAM-based activities, which cover science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. Live demonstrations and take-home kits are part of the program, designed to give younger attendees something concrete to connect with and bring home. SHPE Detroit has made STEAM access a consistent focus because those fields tend to carry higher earning potential and broader economic stability for workers who enter them.
Building on 2025
This is the fifth year SHPE Detroit has run the fair, and the organization has been growing its footprint each time. Last year’s 4th Annual College Fair was held at La Casa Guadalupana, where Detroit City Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero led the ribbon-cutting and addressed students about pursuing careers in STEM. That event helped set the tone that SHPE Detroit is trying to carry into 2026.
Moving the fair to Western International High School puts it inside a school that already serves a large share of Southwest Detroit’s student population. It’s a deliberate choice. The school sits in a neighborhood where the questions about college access aren’t abstract. They’re real and recurring, and they often go unanswered because families don’t know where to start.
“Many families may not attend traditional college fairs because of cost, language barriers, or because they are unsure how the college process works,” Mazaira said. When families understand the process better, she added, they’re more equipped to walk their kids through it.
Why this neighborhood, why now
Southwest Detroit’s Latino community has grown steadily, and the demand for bilingual college guidance has outpaced what schools can offer on their own. FAFSA completion rates for first-generation students remain a persistent challenge across Michigan, and financial aid confusion is one of the biggest reasons students who are academically ready don’t end up enrolling. The Federal Student Aid office reports that students who complete FAFSA are significantly more likely to enroll in postsecondary education, yet completion gaps persist among Latino and first-generation households.
Saturday’s fair tries to move that needle by putting FAFSA workshops in the same space as admissions representatives and community organizations, all speaking to families in the language they’re most comfortable using. That kind of one-stop setup isn’t common, and SHPE Detroit has built its model around it.
The Michigan College Access Network tracks college-going rates across the state and has consistently identified Southwest Detroit as a community where additional outreach and support can shift outcomes. Events like Saturday’s fair align directly with that kind of targeted intervention.
Raffles are also planned, with laptops among the items organizers intend to give away, which gives families an additional reason to bring students out early and stay for the full program.
Western International High School is at 1500 Scotten St. in Southwest Detroit. The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and there’s no registration required to attend.
