WyoTech event helps new students connect with Laramie resources, community

WyoTech used its Discover Laramie event to do more than welcome new students. The April 5 gathering, held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., brought newcomers into contact with local businesses and community information in an effort to make Laramie easier to navigate and easier to call home.

The event fit squarely within how the trade school says it views student life. WyoTech tells students they spend 8 hours a day in class, leaving 16 hours to build a life outside school, and says it supports that time with intramural sports, dorm life activities, community service and weekend events. For a student body arriving for nine-month programs in automotive, collision/refinishing, diesel and welding, the push to connect quickly with town resources is practical as well as social.

That matters in Laramie, where newcomers often need help finding groceries, restaurants, services and places to plug in beyond campus. WyoTech describes Discover Laramie as a chance to connect attendees with a diverse array of local businesses, a setup that can matter for students balancing school, work and the harder task of building a social network from scratch. In a city of 32,957 and a county of 39,288, both estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2024, even small decisions by students about where they shop, eat and volunteer can shape local spending and civic life.

Housing also sits in the background of that effort. The Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey estimates put Laramie’s median gross rent at $925 and Albany County’s at $931, numbers that help explain why a school focused on short-term, intensive training would also pay attention to helping students settle in quickly. When students know where to live, eat, work and spend free time, they are more likely to stay connected to the community after class ends.

WyoTech also says its career services office works with an employer network of more than 2,500 hiring managers nationwide, reinforcing the school’s pitch that it is building pathways both into jobs and into the community around its campus. The broader local network already includes the Laramie Chamber Business Alliance, which says Leadership Laramie helps Albany County citizens learn more about their community and take on leadership roles, and Laramie Young Professionals, which is aimed at networking, professional development and community engagement for ages 21 to 40. Together, those programs and WyoTech’s event point to the same goal: helping students arrive as temporary residents and leave as people with reasons to stay involved in Albany County.