High school seniors from six counties spent their Friday morning as college students at LBW Community College’s MacArthur campus in Opp.

The group was the largest hosted by LBWCC with 176 students from 14 high schools attending the Tech Day activities.

“We are pleased to see this many students interested in continuing their education beyond high school,” said Dr. Herbert Riedel, LBWCC president. “In today’s economy, the most important investment students can make is in their education.”

About 11 percent more students attended the event compared to last year, said Heather Owen, director of recruitment.

“We believe the numbers are larger this spring because students, as well as high school principals and counselors, better understand the importance of technical training in being able to obtain good paying jobs in the future.”

Students pre-selected four areas of interest among the 31 programs of study offered at LBWCC, rotating through each for about 30 minutes, she added.

“Our goal is for them to think of the event as a pre-college orientation. They are with students from all over and meet instructors who could wind up being their advisor on campus,” she said.

Opp High School’s Justin Mooney, Zach Carnley and Blake Stinson said they learned a lot of information about the college and programs.

“I learned they have good resources and faculty on this campus. LBW fits my financial needs and is close to home,” said Stinson, who included auto mechanics, welding and industrial electronics as areas of interest.

Jamison Lee of Straughn High School said he liked the atmosphere in welding because it was an area of interest for him.

“We learned about semesters and classes, and opportunities for jobs,” said Casey Golden of Florala High School.

For more information on technical programs of study on the LBWCC MacArthur campus, call (334) 493-5360.