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SPRINGDALE — Michelle Parmele said she was 23 when she dropped out of college. She was pregnant and wanted to take a break, but she never went back.

Parmele, 43, spoke to college representatives Tuesday at the Come Back To College Fair at the Jones Center.

Tables were set up near the chapel with representatives from colleges and organizations. People with children, family members and some who were alone visited the tables to get information on degree programs and financial aid.

The fair was organized by Graduate NWA to help people who stopped going to college and want to return, said Rob Smith, communications and policy specialist for the Northwest Arkansas Council. Graduate NWA is an organization that provides information about higher education opportunities in Northwest Arkansas.

“It engages people in a different way,” he said. “This is the first time we’ve had a face-to-face event.”

Many people who drop out of college do so because they had to move or had to start working, Smith said. Going back is important, because it helps people attain a better job and salary.

More people earning college degrees also helps the economy, said Stacey Sturner, Graduate NWA project manager. When companies look at moving to certain areas, one of the things they look at are the number of people in the area with college degrees. Companies want to move to areas where they will have an educated work force, she said.

People with college degrees also make more money, Smith said. When people earn higher salaries they also spend more, which goes back into the businesses in the community.

People not only help their community when they go back to college, but they also help the people around them, Smith said. When a person goes back to college, they have the ability to inspire others to do the same.

Inspiring her daughter is one of the reasons Parmele decided to go back to school, she said. Her oldest daughter is 19 and goes to college in Kansas City, Mo. She always tells her daughter how important college is but she wants to show her how important it is by going back herself.

Parmele also said she works in retail. The hours are difficult, late at night and she wants a job more family friendly so she can spend more time with her 10- and 15-year-old sons.

She said she went to NorthWest Arkansas Community College and the University of Arkansas in her early 20s. She wasn’t doing well in her classes and wasn’t taking school seriously.

“When you’re young, you think you have all the time in the world,” she said. “Take the opportunity while you have it.”

Parmele said she was 23 and still in college when she got pregnant. She decided to take some time off from school, work for a while and then go back. Returning to college was more difficult than she thought it would be.

“Life starts happening and that’s not your first priority anymore,” she said.

Parmele said she sees college as an important investment now and values it more than she did in her 20s. She wanted to be a teacher the last time she was in college, but she doesn’t know what she wants to study this time.

“I know I want to help people,” she said. “That’s as far as I’ve gotten.”

Officials at Graduate NWA plan to have another Come Back To College Fair but don’t know when it will be, Sturner said. They hope to have the next fair in Fort Smith.