ZEBULON - Until a few days ago, East Wake Academy senior Alex Murphy thought he would have to move to New York to pursue training in dance.

But he realized a more affordable option might be less than two hours away.

Murphy talked to a representative from the UNC School of the Arts in Winston-Salem at the East Wake Academy College Fair.

Because of its involvement with American Ballet Theatre, the School of the Arts can offer training equivalent to that found in schools in New York, Murphy said.

"I think this might be the school to go to," he said. The best part, he added, is being able to pay in-state tuition.

Murphy was not the only student excited about what he found at the Oct. 12 college fair.

Ninth-grader Stephen Sollers, carrying a handful of brochures and booklets, went from table to table, searching for information about training in law enforcement.

He talked to representatives from schools he hadn't heard of before, including Methodist University in Fayetteville: "(The rep is) gonna send me a bunch of stuff in the mail." He also talked with a rep from a nearby community college.

Sollers has some time to choose where he'll train, but he already knows he wants to be a police officer or a game warden.

The high school freshman set his mind on a career as a seventh-grader. "I just need to find a school," he said.

Senior Jacob Thompson is another East Wake Academy student who knows what he wants to do. His focus right now is finding an affordable way to get there.

Using information he gathered at the fair, Thompson decided he would look into taking basic courses at Wilson Community College, then transferring to UNC Pembroke for courses in music and pre-veterinary. That, he hopes, would prepare him to enter the veterinary program at N.C. State University.

Until he attended the fair, Wilson Community College wasn't even part of the picture. "I hadn't heard of it before today," Thompson said. "But it's cheaper than Wake Tech."

More choice, less chaos

This is the first year East Wake Academy had held a college fair. In past years, East Wake Academy College Coordinator Lauren Johnson regularly invited a number of college recruiters to visit the school.

"I opted to conduct the fair to alleviate chronic class interruption," she said.

The event was designed for the school's juniors and seniors, although underclassmen attended, too. Each group had an hour to gather information and talk to college representatives.

Senior Danisha Thomas has already been to a college fair at N.C. State, and said she liked the fair held at her high school better.

Holding the fair at her school meant she had a smaller crowd to navigate through, and gave greater accessibility to recruiters, she said. Thomas is planning a career in business, but she collected information about other programs that interested her, as well. "In case I change my mind," she said.

Fellow senior Maryssa Labe said she appreciated the convenience of having college reps visit her campus. She liked having a chance to talk to people in person as opposed to having to wait for an e-mailed response.

Senior Jordan Benson, who wants to go into nursing, said she really likes ECU, but also picked up information about Campbell University and Wilson Community College.

"I wasn't even familiar with Wilson Community College until they came here," she said. "You really don't get a feel for how many colleges are out there" using regular channels, she said.

While some of the schools represented at East Wake Academy's college fair may be unfamiliar to students, they are all viable in-state choices, Johnson said.

She said she ran down the list of state schools - public, community, and private - and sent out invitations. "Thirty reps showed up today," Johnson said, allowing students to learn about their options in North Carolina.

College bound

The high school at East Wake Academy currently includes 276 students; of those, 62 are seniors. About 70 percent apply to four-year schools; the rest plan to attend community colleges or tech schools.

Parents, including Lynn Bradley, were also present at the college fair. She stopped by so she and her son, Tyler, could narrow down choices before they visit schools.

Tyler, a senior who is interested in cinematography and photography, found the booth for the UNC School of the Arts before she did.

"I think it's exciting," she said of the college fair. "We may not have seen (the school of the arts information) had we not come here today."