At 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 7th, I met my parents outside my dorm room for University Weekend. It was the first time I had seen my parents for a few weeks, so I was excited to spend some time with them and show them around campus now that I knew it pretty well, whereas last time none of us knew our way around very well. As we were walking around and I was explaining the different parts of campus center and the various parts of the freshman dorms, I realized that even though I had only been here for a month, I already knew the university so well and it hit me that Stockton was now my home.
First on the agenda was breakfast, where we ate a good meal and got ourselves ready for the day. We also used that time to catch up and they asked me how I was doing with college. Much to both of our delight, I could finally be excited about my schoolwork and be passionate about what I’m learning in the classroom.
After breakfast, the parade started and we stood on the side as we watched various groups and organizations pass by in their golf carts. Both my parents and I were impressed by how enthusiastic everyone was about their respective club. I enjoyed how the parade emphasized the true community that Stockton is. So many people were joining together and doing great things together, and I loved it.
The best part of the day happened after the parade, and that was walking around with my parents, browsing the diverse shops lining the walkways. As we walked around I continued to point out details about the campus and continued to amaze myself with how much I already knew about my new home. We pet some stingrays, pied some fraternity members, and shot on a hockey net. This part of University Weekend was very well executed and it did a great job of representing the diversity and community of Stockton. We finished the day off by watching the men’s soccer team face off against Rutgers-Newark. Although they couldn’t pull off a win, I could always appreciate sitting back and watching sports.
University Weekend was a fantastic opportunity to catch up with my parents and spend a meaningful day with them. I thought everything about the weekend was very well executed and my parents will definitely be back for the next one.