On Oct. 19 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Reach Manatee will present its 2019 College & Career Readiness Conference. The free event is focused on helping families understand the college and career options for their students; this year’s conference will feature speakers with years of expertise helping students navigate financial aid/FAFSA, the admissions process, college expectations, post-secondary opportunities, and how education connects to careers and labor market data. The keynote speaker is Maria Furtado, executive director of Colleges That Change Lives, an organization dedicated to the advancement and support of a student-centered college search process based in California. Furtado will focus on ways to support the goal of students developing a lifelong love of learning, providing the foundation for a successful and fulfilling life beyond college. For more information, click here.