FORT CARSON, Colo. — Fort Carson held its annual education fair May 8, 2023, to help promote the different schools and programs available to Soldiers and Family members on the Mountain Post.
Over 500 people attended the event to obtain information about furthering their education.
There were 40 colleges, universities and organizations, to include Green to Gold, Career Skills Programs, Veterans Upward Bound, Army Community Service, Veteran Readiness and Employment, and the Pikes Peak Workforce Center.
“This is a great opportunity for us to help our Soldiers and Family members get back into the higher education realm,” said Mike Webb, Fort Carson director of Human Resources. “A lot of our Soldiers have joined the military with that anticipation, so hopefully we can help those recruiters out there.”
This is the 25th fair held by the Fort Carson Education Center and the first since 2019 due to the pandemic.
“We were still here to provide different services, but now we’re able to … expand things a little bit better and be a little bit more visible,” said Marie Robinson, deputy education service officer.
Pvt. Maria Gallegos, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, attended the fair to explore higher education options, noting not everyone who joins intends to retire from the military.
“It could just be a step to help you achieve your goals. I joined the Army to go to college and figure out my life. I think this is very important and shows Soldiers that there are other options out there,” said Gallegos.
The education center provides Soldiers, Family members and veterans with several services, the most popular are counseling, Army personnel testing and use of a computer lab.
The computer lab averages about 6,000 Soldiers a month and is open on a first-come, first-serve basis Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Robinson said one service few take advantage of is the Basic Skills Education Program.
“(The program) helps Soldiers with their reading and their math skills. That helps them with their general technical improvement scores to help them figure out what careers are available to them within the military, but it also helps them with college preparation,” said Robinson.
For more information about the education center, visit home.army.mil/carson/index.php/allservices/education-center.
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