Fall Weekend is Conn’s version of a parents weekend, homecoming and alumni reunion rolled into one. It’s the most recently graduated class’s half-year reunion and it’s the first weekend parents of first-years can come and experience Conn without the stress of Move-In Day. However, what happens when your mother lives a 24-hour plane ride away?
Thankfully for me, my weekend was pretty busy. As treasurer of Conn’s International Student Association (ISA), my Friday evening was occupied with our annual Parentless Dinner. This is an event ISA organizes every Fall Weekend for all students whose parents cannot make it out to Conn. It’s a night filled with food, music and the occasional dancing. It is also a night for the first-year international students to hang out and reflect on the first five weeks of college. Similar to my Friday, HarvestFest also brought me together with the other executive members of ISA to work our fundraising table. HarvestFest is a half-day festival on Tempel Green where clubs and organizations sell products to raise money for their clubs. ISA decided to sell tie-dye t-shirts!
Before Fall Weekend I was concerned that I’d be alone the times I wasn’t doing things for ISA. Somehow that only happened when I purposefully sought it out. I spent a wonderful picnic lunch with my friend Marianna and her family (and their dog!). However, my top Fall Weekend memory would definitely be meeting a Conn alum who was present for the Class of 2018’s Half Year Reunion. Laura Henderson had attended the same high school as me in Swaziland and although I had never met her before, she was always the bearer of encouragement during my move to Conn. It was great to finally put a face to the messenger chat.
As for my alone time, I had time to check out some events that the different departments had put on for Fall Weekend. The first stop was the showcase Conn’s Mock Trial ‘A’ Team put on as I am now part of the ‘B’ Team. Next was a panel discussion organized by the Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy (PICA) regarding the importance of the upcoming midterm elections. The panel consisted of PICA alumni who discussed their careers in conjunction with the current political climate. The last event I attended was a black-box theater play regarding the history of Namibia and the genocide of the Herero tribe.
All in all, my first fall weekend was eventful. It was also a weekend which let me reflect on the new friends I’ve made as well as an opportunity to invest in some awesome camel merchandise!
