Destination College, Granite Edvance’s free annual college planning event, comes to SNHU April 5

Concord, NH – Destination College, a free annual event designed to help high school juniors and their families launch their college-and-career journeys, comes to Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester on Saturday, April 5. Offered by the NH nonprofit Granite Edvance, this year’s event will include workshops on key topics, a college fair featuring representatives from more than 50 colleges from New England and beyond, a prize giveaway, and the opportunity to tour and dine on the SNHU campus. Destination College also serves as an introduction to the free services and resources offered by Granite Edvance, whose mission is to support NH students and families in navigating their education and career pathways.  

“Destination College is an opportunity for us to offer a warm welcome to the Class of 2026, equip them with the resources they need, and assure them we’re here to support them on their journeys,” said Granite Edvance CEO and President Christiana Thornton. “As a parent of a high school senior, I know firsthand the mix of feelings and the many questions that accompany this chapter, and I know how valuable it is to have that support.”  

The complexity of the college application process is a barrier to college access for many students. In a 2021 survey of recent high school graduates, many young people expressed feelings of confusion in navigating their future pathways and said that clear, personalized support and access to mentors were important factors in helping them find direction. Both are key components of Destination College. 

Ray Blake of Raymond, who attended Destination College last year with his grandson, said he came to the event with little prior knowledge and left feeling much more confident. “I knew nothing about any of this,” he said. “I learned a ton.”  

Sofia Mohedano, who attended last year as a junior at Portsmouth High School, said she’d already been contemplating her future pathway but came to the event to start getting real about planning. “It’s been a good first foot into college prep,” she said.  

Granite Edvance expects to welcome up to 1,200 guests to this year’s event. Highlights of the day will include:  

• A choice of 10 workshops on topics ranging from building a college list to study-away experiences.  

• A college fair featuring representatives from more than 50 colleges and community-based organizations.   

• A drawing for three MacBook Air laptop computers and two iPad Pro tablets. All NH high school juniors who register for Destination College will be entered into a drawing for the prizes. Winners will be drawn at random during the second half of the college fair, and students must be present during the drawing to claim their prize. See Terms and Conditions page for full details.