HOUSTON – Over 13,000 people strolled through the George R. Brown Convention Center Saturday in hopes of a brighter future as part of one of the largest career exploration events in the country.
Alex Mantilla knows he has some big shoes to fill. His dad went to Harvard University and his grandpa went MIT.
"I feel like I've got to be Ivy League -- that's kind of like the bar," Mantilla said.
He's only 15, but he's already getting a kick-start on his college career.
"History or political science, somewhere in that zone," Mantilla said.
He's one student out of thousands who walked the rows at the 31st Annual Career and Education Day sponsored by the Houston Hispanic Forum, getting information they may not be learning in the classroom.
"The average student spends about 17 minutes with their college counselor while they're in high school," HHF Executive Director Linda Flores Olson said.
Advisers from Shell, counselors from Texas A&M and even cheerleaders from Texas Southern University were there to inspire the eager learners.
Even Channel 2's very own Jonathan Martinez brought some of his experience to the table.
Parents say it was also an opportunity for them to figure out a few things.
"The first question you're going to ask yourself is how am I going to pay for this? But then if you put that aside, you start looking at what's the real potential for the kid. What's going to make him happy?" Sam Mantilla said.
Even freshman in High School Louis Jordan says it's never too early to start.
"All of them can help me figure out even more what I want to do, and help me out with actually what I want to do in general," Jordan said.
Click link for more information on future events with Houston Hispanic Forum.