Excitement on campus reached its peak on Oct. 8 and 9 as Biola students eagerly awaited the arrival of their families for Parent and Family Weekend.
Homesickness is an all-too-common syndrome on campus.Whether your family is five minutes or 500 miles away, leaving home is often a difficult transition for students. But the transition can also be a freeing experience for students.
Either way, Parent and Family Weekend gave students and their families the opportunity to be together. Parents were reassured about the education and home Biola offers their students.
Those participating in music performed for their parents, and those in sports were able to show their parents how they have adopted athletics on campus as their second home.
During this event, moms and dad shad the chance to see how their children have adjusted to the life of a college student.
Freshman Spencer Lee’s parents, John and Sheri, and his brother Brody were able to see many aspects of Spencer’s life on campus, from a volleyball game to President Corey’s speech at the parent luncheon.
“We really appreciate all the opportunities to see everything going on at the school,” said Sheri Lee. “We were so impressed with Talbot’s new school and to see the vision for the graduate program.”
She said hearing President’s Corey’s heart and seeing how engaged he was with the students was very reassuring for her and her family.
Freshmen especially tend to have difficulty finding a home here on campus.
Susan Brickley, mother of freshman Ryan Brickley, came down with her husband and oldest daughter from Brookings, Ore.
“It’s neat to see how my daughter fits in,” she said. “Dad even won a Biola hat at Biola Bingo!”
The Brickley family attended many of the events for the parents, including a luncheon on Metzger Lawn where President Corey gave a speech.
Tiana Godard attended the parent Luncheon with her mom and dad as well, but also enjoyed their company off campus at Downtown Disney and later at dinner.
“It was nice seeing them again,” said Godard with a smile, “but I was ready for them to leave too. Biola has kind of become my space.”
Biola’s goal is to provide a home for students, but parents may have difficulty accepting that. Parent and Family Weekend might just have been the time parents need to get used to the idea of their children having a home away from home.
While students miss their families, they may also find a new family in the Biola community. Here, they can make deep abiding friendships in the “red sea,” and find part-time moms, dads and friends among professors and peers.
