It's that time of year when many high school students are applying to colleges, universities, or trade schools. It can be a daunting prospect, but a large career and college expo on Saturday helped guide students on their path.

The outside of Friendship Baptist Church of The Colony looked quiet, but inside, the doors of opportunity opened for young people.

"We are not just a college and career fair, but we are an outreach, a community outreach for ages ninth through 12th grade, for community college students and for young adults who are planning for the future," said Michelle Roberson, with the scholarship ministry at Friendship Baptist Church of The Colony.

Dozens of schools and companies

More than 80 public and private colleges, universities, and technical and vocational schools from across the country were invited.

"We have also invited companies and corporations to come in and speak to our students, about internships, companies that have internships, and even companies who are entrepreneurs and speaking to students and advising them on how to become entrepreneurs," Roberson said.

"Professional development is really important to us, and leadership development as well. I think as they are looking at the different colleges and universities that are present, they can kind of get a sense, an idea, of what they're looking to do," said Ken Williams, youth pastor at Friendship Baptist Church of The Colony.

Workshops, networking, and inspiration

Young people attended workshops, networked, and met professionals in different fields, including technology executive Michael Dennis.

"I'm here to shape the next generation of engineers, cloud consultants, IT specialists, architects, and security specialists," Dennis said.

Other careers highlighted at the fair included animal sciences, healthcare, and skilled trades.

"You can't walk in an organization and not think about their strategy or how they drive productivity, operations, efficiencies without some sort of cloud technology and computer technology," Dennis said.

One-stop shop for the future

"This is kind of a one-stop shop, and it's full of resources for whatever our students are planning for the future," Roberson said.

Its interest was sparked by the fair to bring bright futures ahead.