At this year's Homecoming, the newest alumni, the graduating class of 2005, will celebrate many firsts: the first to have enjoyed a Homecoming on campus all four years they have been here; the first to celebrate a Zero Year Reunion; and the first time as a group, they have been able to see their senior gift installed.
The new lighting in the Memorial Courtyard came from donations received from the Class of 2005. The class raised a record amount - over $20,000 - for special lighting to illuminate the 9/11 and memorial boulders in the courtyard, a memorial plaque in the courtyard for classmate Keith Nintzel '05, the Senior Challenge scholarship, and additional courtyard needs.
"We are the last class to graduate that was here when 9/11 occurred, so it is very fitting and meaningful that we provide special lighting for the 9/11 memorial and memorial boulders in the Memorial Courtyard", said Shamila Dilmaghani '05, president of the 2005 Senior Class Council and coordinator of the fundraising effort.
The funds were raised through a wide variety of sources and activities, explained Whitney Goldberg '05, a member of the Senior Class Council.
"We extended our efforts beyond the traditional senior activities to include the sale of senior sweatshirts and coordination of a monthly Senior Night Out," said Goldberg. "These additions worked to reach out to as many seniors as possible, achieving a sense of class unity."
During Homecoming, the class will build on the unity they had while students, visiting the Memorial Garden , building a float, participating in the brain train parade and enjoying a Saturday evening reception at The Sports Bar from 8 - 10 p.m.
"This university has been more than just an academic institution, it has been home to me," said Dilmaghani, who won the 1986 Senior Class Award this year and is now employed at the United Nations. "I've traveled to many different countries and studied abroad. This place is where I've always wanted to come back to. These have been the best four years of my life."
