Community-building event lets students know #YouAreWelcomeHere

Penn College is participating in Welcoming Week (Sept. 12-20), a nationally recognized movement that promotes environments that are inclusive and welcoming to all – no matter where they're from. This year's theme is "Creating Home Together," embodied in a Wednesday afternoon cupcake-decorating event on the Bush Campus Center patio. Students also had the opportunity to post their responses to the question, "What makes Penn College home?" While the pandemic prevented some from joining the celebration of their campus home, the college is proud to have 11 students from six countries (Grenada, India, Jamaica, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Vietnam).

– Photos by Cindy Davis Meixel, writer/photo editor

 

Containers filled with cupcakes and decorations entice students to feel welcome at their home away from home.

Twins Jon J. (left) and Jake T. Twardowski, freshmen in plastics and polymer engineering technology, show off their creatively crafted cupcakes.

Jarred “J.J.” Jones adds his response to the board: “People! Home is where the heart is.” Jones, a 2019 automotive technology graduate, is a senior in applied management.

Emma R. Wright, a pre-nursing student, stops by the gathering for cupcakes-to-go to top off (although resting under) her CC Commons dinner.

The poster board fills up with reasons to appreciate this Penn College home.