By: Virginia Riddle

On Monday, February 21, Thiel opened its campus to admitted students and their parents with an event called “Tomcat Day”. The students came from a variety of different high schools. Some already accepted Thiel as their college of choice and were experiencing a day in the life of their upcoming peers, while others were still considering whether to accept their admission.

The day started with check-in and a continental breakfast at 9:00 am, which continued into the 9:30 am welcoming.

During the welcoming address, President Traverso spoke directly to the prospective students. She addressed Thiel as being a very close-knit community, with alumni who become “leaders and those who want to see a positive change in the world.” She also put heavy emphasis on the fact that the Thiel students have been closely following CDC guidelines for COVID-19, saying that the Thiel community does not “fight” over it or make it political, but instead follows the guidelines for the ease and safety of everyone on campus.

The welcoming was followed by several presentations from different Thiel affiliates, all of which led to the “Attend a Class” portion of the experience. In this activity, the future Tomcats were able to join Thiel students in a class corresponding with the major each guest was interested in. For instance, prospective students with an interest in psychology got to attend a class titled “Lifespan Development”. In this specific class, Dr. Natalie Homa, Chair of the Psychology Department, continued with her usual syllabus while finding ways to incorporate the campus’s guests into the lesson plan.

Prospective student Kaya Van Tassell, who has already accepted her admission to Thiel and was an active participant in the Lifespan Development class for the day, said, “It was nice getting a glimpse of my future.”

After the “Attend a Class” portion of the day, prospective Tomcats were provided lunch. During this time, they were able to converse in a more casual setting with professors that they may have in the future.

By the end of it all, Van Tassell said, “I’m so pumped to be a Tomcat!”