Hanging out with the fam: Golden Bears spend time on campus for Family Weekend
Last weekend was a little different than other weekends at Tech. Students still ate lunch in the Bears Den. Student-athletes competed on the field and others hit the books in the library. Except this weekend, there were moms, dads, sisters, brothers and even family pets along for the ride.
WVU Tech hosted its first Family Weekend in Beckley on October 27-29. The event offered the families of WVU Tech students a chance to stop by for a weekend of activities on an off campus.
Visitors toured campus, learned about student organizations, heard live music, attended soccer games, watched movies, embarked on guided hikes and explored campus services – all alongside their favorite student.
Michael Sheldon, Coordinator of Student Programming and Organizations, said that the event was a way to help families feel more connected to the institution.
“Orientation is a hectic time for students and their families, so this is a dedicated opportunity for families to come back to campus and discover what it’s like for their students. It’s a chance for them to see the kind of things their students are doing in college and who they’re working with along the way,” he said.
Kristina Miller came in from northern Virginia for the weekend’s activities. Her son Michael Clark is a freshman on campus. He's studying computer science and wants to get into video game animation.
Miller was diagnosed with cancer last year, so Michael took a year off to stay home and help with the younger children.
"I told him he couldn’t put his life on pause anymore. So when we were looking at him going back to school, it was WVU Tech that had the best fit for his concentration,” she said.
Miller brought her two young children along for the visit, where they had a chance to see campus and hang out at Michael’s favorite spots.
"Knowing that this is his home away from home environment, I think that's what's so exciting for all of us to experience with him,” she said.
The family is close, and so for Miller, Tech’s small campus feels like a good fit for her son. She said that being able to spend some time exploring her son’s new environment puts her at ease.
"It's a close-knit campus. I like that. As a parent, I'm leaving him in good hands," she said.
Families came in for the weekend’s festivities from multiple states and as far away as Mexico.
Check out photos from Family Weekend on Flickr.