Historically black colleges and universities are looking for San Diego students.

Nearly 3,000 high school students from across the county attended the sixth annual Black College Expo in southeast San Diego Thursday.

The event is sponsored by the San Diego County Office of Education and the National College Resource Foundation. Both aim to support students from marginalized communities and break the cycle of poverty.

Among the students in attendance was Caylee Thaxton-Barney, 17, a senior at San Pascual High School in Escondido.

“I’m going to study radiology and hope to become a traveling MRI technician,” she told KPBS News.

Thaxton-Barney reviewed several colleges and universities that were historically black in the exhibit. These included Texas Southern University in Houston, Harris Stowe State in St. Louis, and the University of Virginia at Lynchburg.

Many students were accepted locally and even awarded scholarships with qualifying transcripts.

Teresa Price is the founder of the National College Resource Foundation and hosted an exhibit on Thursday. She said it was for the entire community.

“Yes, this is for 11th and 12th grade students who can be accepted locally, college transfer students can be accepted locally, but it is also an opportunity for adult students to learn what is available to them to improve their game,” Price said. .

Attending an HBCU close to home is especially challenging for California students. The Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles is the only one in the state of California.

“I will go anywhere. I am not afraid of any restrictions. I think it’s worth the risk,” said 17-year-old Princess Galvan.

She is open to any university that supports her lifelong dream of becoming a psychologist to help her community.

“I am mixed. I am African American and Mexican. Afro-Latino Americans are not represented as much. So I want to be where there is more representation.”