A fall weekend full of Lion Pride and family connections happened Oct. 23-26, 2025, at Loyola Marymount University, where more than 4,000 attendees and 1,500 families joined LMU’s annual Family Weekend. Families were able to participate in various aspects of their students’ daily experiences, including curricular and co-curricular activities. The weekend offered many returning favorites like LMU’s Global Conversations series, a Lion parent career panel with LMU Career and Professional Development, the Senior Vice President of Student Affairs Reception with Kawanna Leggett, Ed.D., receptions with college and school deans, the Lion Spirit showcase, a ROAR Tailgate with ASLMU, and a Lions Creative Corner with LGBT Student Services and the Residence Hall Association, and more.
“Family Weekend is a special time of year when the university has the opportunity to engage families in the kinds of academic and social experiences their students are having throughout the year,” said Briana Maturi, Ph.D., director of Student Transitions and Success. “Our goal is to provide traditional programs that occur annually, with new events to keep the weekend fresh and fun. We want the families to truly feel that they are an essential part of the Lion family.”
This year also brought the opportunity to discover new programs and explore possibilities for engaging families in the fabric of LMU and the local Los Angeles community. On Thursday evening, the Family Weekend schedule invited parents and families to attend the annual Beatles4Sam show held on the Foley steps to honor former LMU theatre student Sam Wasson, who was tragically taken in a car accident in 2007. Beatles4Sam is commemorated each year by the LMU Theatre Arts Department at an evening of live music by The Beatles, Sam’s favorite band. During this beloved event of student performers, and President Thomas Poon, Ph.D., joined a group on stage by singing and playing his ukulele, honoring Sam and his parents, who were also in attendance.
During the Friday morning check-in on Alumni Mall, students were encouraged to get flu shots as Student Health Services hosted a pop-up flu vaccination clinic. Aetna, LMU’s student health insurance carrier, has provided LMU Student Health Services (SHS) with $10,000 for a health initiative, which is being used to offer free flu vaccines to LMU students this fall. On Friday afternoon, parents and families got the chance to experience Improv Under the Palms with The Groundlings, a nationally known Los Angeles improv and sketch comedy troupe and school. Eight performers, including a producer and a musical accompanist, took to the Drollinger Family Stage to provide an hour of entertainment with audience participation. The audience was asked to provide themes, such as a first-date scenario or a workplace setting, which would then be turned into an improvised song or sketch.
On Friday evening and Saturday evening, families were treated to a watch party of the World Series on Alumni Mall, courtesy of LMU Family Weekend and Information Technology Services, which provided a large screen for locals to cheer on the Los Angeles Dodgers during games one and two of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. On Saturday evening, families were invited to the first-ever Carne Asada with CLSS hosted by LMU’s Chicanx Latinx Student Services in the Palm Quad. Families got the chance to play yard games, dance, listen to a DJ, and enjoy a beer garden and local tacos and agua frescas.
Lion parents and families started arriving at LMU’s campus on Wednesday to get a preview of a campus favorite, Wellness Wednesday. One of the new programs that Maturi mentioned kicked off the weekend on Thursday afternoon with The Long-ish Table, where 150 parents, family members, and their students gathered at a table to engage in conversation and community. Similar to the event LMU kicked off last month, this event encouraged connections across families.
LMU’s Global Conversations series returned to the Family Weekend Stage, where Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. led conversations centered on identity, family, and the pressing challenges facing the country today. On Thursday evening, LMU hosted Emmy-winning actress and singer Sheryl Lee Ralph, and on Saturday afternoon, actor, producer, director, and author Joe Manganiello from the hit series “True Blood” and blockbuster movie “Spider-Man” took the stage. Before each talkback session, audiences were able to view Ralph’s and Manganiello’s episodes of the acclaimed PBS series Finding Your Roots.
LMU Career and Professional Development (CPD) hosted two sessions on Friday, titled “Believe in Something Brighter,” where the CPD team, along with students, provided an overview of career resources available to students during their time at LMU. In the second session, CPD hosted a Lion Parent Panel, moderated by Jim Lambert from the LMU Board of Regents and the founder and visionary of DivergeIT. The panel included Wanda Hope, a retired senior executive from Johnson & Johnson; Teague Hunter, CEO of Hunter Hotel Advisors; and Cyma Zarghami, founder and CEO of MIMO Studios.
On Friday evening, more than 4,000 students, friends, and family members joined the LMU Sorority and Fraternity Life community for the annual Lip Sync Competition, welcoming back Step Off to the event with two sororities performing step off on the Drollinger Family Stage. The “Dream On” themed event raised more than $146,000 for the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, the largest provider of financial assistance to families of children with cancer in the U.S.
One of the parents of the B+ heroes attended the event and shared the impact that their child’s connection with an LMU fraternity has had on them. “When Connor got out of the hospital and could start participating in in-person events, the Betas (LMU Beta Theta Pi) and the LMU Dance Marathon (DM) team made sure to include him in every activity they put on,” said Julian, a B+ hero’s dad. “Just last week, we had an amazing time meeting the LMU basketball team to have breakfast with the coaching staff and then going to their game against USC. And of course, my favorite event, the Lip Sync competition, is our fourth competition. B+ and DM team have really embraced Connor and made him feel important, welcomed, and like he really is a hero…and he deserves to feel that way. He has been through more than any child should have to go through. But to all the parents, family, and friends of the amazing young men and women who are part of this incredible event, I want you to know that your children are heroes too. They bring joy, hope, and genuine friendship to their adopted brothers and sisters. Their fellowship, sense of charity, and message of hope and love mean so much to the families they support. I can tell you that the work they do with these B+ heroes brings so much joy and confidence to their lives; it’s a debt that can never be repaid. Our family is so grateful to have B+, Beta, and LMU DM on our side. I truly believe that the work and actions of these young men and women change lives and help these families maintain a B+ attitude…It’s not a grade, it’s an attitude.”
The competition featured “miracle-minute” moments, during which the audience was encouraged to raise extra donations and support their favorite sorority or fraternity for the People’s Choice award. All the donations went back to the B+ Foundation throughout the song’s length. Special thanks to the Lip Sync and Step Off planning team including: Cate Satrazemis ’26, Jacob Ramirez ’27, Andres Rivera ’26, Kaila Nash ’26, Avery Glynn ’26, Kaela Richards ’26, and LMU Sorority and Fraternity Life staff members: Rona Kohanteb, Isabella Ferrante, and Rainey Lynch. The evening concluded with the announcement of the winners of the competition for various awards:
- Interfraternity Council Lip Sync Winner: Delta Sigma Phi, Interfraternity Council (their tenth consecutive trophy)
- Collegiate Panhellenic Council Lip Sync Winner: Alpha Phi, Collegiate Panhellenic Council
- Black Greek Council Step Off Winner: The Tau Kappa chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Black Greek Council
- Most Entertaining Superlative: The Tau Delta chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Black Greek Council
- Best Theme Development Superlative: Lambda Chi Alpha, Interfraternity Council
- Best Choreography Superlative: Delta Gamma, Collegiate Panhellenic Council
- Most Creative Superlative: Pi Beta Phi, Collegiate Panhellenic Council
- People’s Choice Award: Delta Gamma, Collegiate Panhellenic Council. They raised the most money with $32,267.60
On Saturday, the Lion Spirit Showcase returned with performances from LMU students hosted by Mane Entertainment. Families could participate in various activities, including food trucks and crafts like a “Stuff-a-Lion” (similar to Build-A-Bear), or paint T-shirts or canvas during the Lion Creative Corner, hosted by the Residence Hall Association and LGBT Student Services. New activities this year included inflatable-style carnival games such as basketball, football, and a ring toss. Families could also walk through an inflatable corn maze or grab a fall-themed candy apple.
On Saturday evening, the day concluded with the LMU Dance department’s annual Impulse Dance Showcase, one of seven showcases that the department puts on annually. However, this is the only one choreographed and directed entirely by students. Impulse was directed by LMU students: Delaney Basile ‘27, Eliana Bennett ‘27, Lyrah Cabrera ‘27, Alexis Hanlon ‘28, and Alyssa Webb. The dance showcase included pieces by small groups, individuals, and LMU’s three dance crews, including Radix, Genesis, and Kuumba.
Family Weekend concluded with an Intercultural Reception in Sculpture Garden, where families enjoyed food and a mariachi band, which went from table to table taking song requests, inviting families to join in, and provided an intimate table-side celebratory performance to close out the weekend.