There will be many new faces on campus on March 28 as incoming freshmen visit campus for Celebration Day. Many students remember this event as the first time they met their friends, visited  the dorm halls  and met the faculty that they now have in class. 

Current freshman Maddie Maselko attended last year’s Celebration. “The best memory I have from Celebration was the last event of the day where all of the students got to hang out and meet each other in the gym! I also remember thinking it was so cool talking to so many of the different organizations on campus as well!” 

Maura Wallace ‘20, one of the students in charge of planning Celebration, explained what Celebration is and how it impacts potential freshmen.

“Celebration is an opportunity for admitted students to hear from the faculty, staff and most importantly current students about the John Carroll experience. It is also a great time for students to mingle with current Blue Streaks and to learn about campus activities, organizations and student life,” she said. 

One of the greatest features of the event is giving families tours of campus. “Celebration highlights our beautiful campus by offering campus tours, residence hall tours and science lab tours,” Wallace said. 

The Celebration tradition on campus was first held back in 2001 and has since evolved over time. There is a student-run Celebration committee that works alongside the JCU Office of Admissions over the course of five months in order to get the event ready. These same groups have worked every year to make Celebration a better experience for all future Blue Streaks. 

For this year’s Celebration, there are plans to  showcase  the new fitness studio, as it is one of the aspects of campus that the committee is most excited about sharing with future Blue Streaks. Also among the day’s events will be a parent and guest reception that will feature President Michael Johnson and Kobus Johnson, that will give both incoming students and incoming parents a better idea of what who we are as a John Carroll community. 

The committee  expects about 1,200 people to be on campus for Celebration this year. 

Another unique aspect of Celebration Day is the student involvement. Students volunteer from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. to make the day feel special for the incoming class. 

Contact senior Brianna Chlosta at [email protected] to volunteer.