The Warrior Success Center will host its tenth Annual Major and Career Exploration Fair on Wednesday, Oct. 3. The event will take place in the East Room of Kryzsko Commons from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Amy Meyer, an advisor from the Warrior Success Center, described the purpose of the event.

“The purpose of the fair is to help connect students with information about academic programs,” Meyer said.

The fair has almost all of the Winona State University majors and minors represented. The Warrior Hub will also be available to answer student questions that are not program-specific.

Each department table will have a professor ready to answer questions that students have about that department. Many departments also bring upper-level students who can provide helpful insights to attending students.

Some departments will also have program alumni who can help students learn about some of the career options they have, as well as provide advice for students who are on the same career path.

“Alumni give a nice, unique perspective of warriors in the field. They can bring back things to the students that they wish they would have known when they were students here,” Meyer said.

For new students, the fair can be a way to find out which programs Winona State offers, as well as explore different possibilities at Winona State.

The fair is also intended for other students as well. Students who already have a major can look around the different tables and see what programs might be helpful to the program they are already in, as an additional major or minor.

Upper-level students can also come to learn more about their own program. Especially from alumni that went through the same program.

Charissa Eaton, a social work professor, believes it is important for students who attend to talk to as many people as they can, including alumni.

“Alumni who are out in the working world can talk about what they learned and how they use it in real life,” Eaton said.

With over 80 academic programs offered at Winona State, it can be stressful for students to think about looking into every program. The Major and Career Exploration Fair offers an easier way for students to learn more about all kinds of different programs.

Jana Craft, department chair of business administration, sees the fair as a way for students to look at different majors without being intimidated by scheduling meetings to learn more about programs.

“I think of early career exploration kind of like playing dress-up as a kid. You can talk to somebody who’s a computer scientist and see what that looks like in the real world, then you can go a couple tables over and talk to a chemist,” Eaton said.

Having multiple programs represented in one room is a good way for many departments to reach out to students who have not thought about programs that are not always represented.

“Since we are way up here on the third floor of Somsen, this isn’t foot-traffic friendly. [The fair] is one way we can reach out to freshmen and sophomores.” Craft said.