LMU Family Weekend, an annual tradition, took place on Feb. 15-18, 2024, and brought students and their families to campus to experience the unique and special things about life on the bluff and what it means to be a Lion. This year, the weekend brought 3,700 participants to LMU’s campus. LMU pride was amplified throughout these four new programs:
- Lion Spirit Showcase hosted by Student Affairs and ASLMU;
- Family Ties with ASLMU;
- Musical Canvases with Residence Hall Association;
- Parent Career Panel hosted by Career and Professional Development.
“It is such a joy to have our Lion families return to our campus to celebrate together with their students and see how their journey at LMU has been transformative,” said Kawanna Leggett, senior vice president for Student Affairs. Her Student Affairs Leadership Team joined Leggett for short introductions and casual conversations where parents could meet Student Affairs leaders and learn about the LMU student experience. During the reception with SVP Leggett, she also announced the winner of LMU’s first-ever student T-shirt design contest: Sabriya Seid ’25. A biology and studio arts double major, Seid was surprised by the announcement and received the first T-shirt with her design during the reception. Following the reception, the shirt went on sale in the LMU Bookstore for students and their families to purchase throughout the weekend, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Lion Emergency Fund.
Families and their students gathered Saturday morning in the Bell Tower Garden near the chapel to participate in new activities hosted by ASLMU and the Residence Hall Association. During RHA’s Musical Canvas event, participants were provided canvases and paint and asked to paint something that reminds them of their favorite song. Nearby, ASLMU hosted Family Ties, where participants could make friendship bracelets and hear from students about their unique perspectives and involvements at LMU. Many families joined in these activities to take a few moments to relax and have some creative activities outside of the typical sessions during Family Weekend.
Later on Saturday, LMU students and their families gathered for the annual Game Day Experience tailgate on Alumni Mall, which was enhanced this year by a new program called the Lion Spirit Showcase. ASLMU President Drew Hartz ‘24 helped organize the event, served as the MC for the afternoon, and described the event as a living LMU yearbook. The first hour of the event included student performances from Mane Entertainment’s Open Mic Night which led into performances from LMU’s best of showcases sponsored by Mane Entertainment including:
- Best Student Comedian: Zoe Zakson ‘24;
- Best Singer/Songwriter: T. Pie, aka Tiras Pie ‘24;
- Best A capella Group: Notetorious;
- Best Dance Crew: Kuumba.
Seid and the other top designers from the student T-shirt design contest were highlighted throughout the weekend, including at the new Lion Spirit Showcase, where each top designer received a tote bag with their custom design and a gift card to the LMU Bookstore.
A new parent career panel hosted by Career and Professional Development took place on Friday afternoon and was moderated by Audra Verrier, associate vice provost of Career and Professional Development. The group of distinguished parents answered questions, shared invaluable insights on navigating the professional landscape, and helped provide firsthand perspectives on leveraging your network for internships and first job opportunities. Parent panelists shared how they centered their careers on their passions and gave suggestions to students, such as tapping the network of LMU alumni to find job opportunities. The LMU parent panelists included:
- Sam Kirby Yoh, partner and co-head of Global Music at United Talent Agency;
- Annette Reavis, chief people officer at CrossFit, LLC;
- Ed Avil, vice president of global talent acquisition and people business partners at Alation;
- Jeff Prekker, CEO of BioPhase;
- Kim Rhodes, director of employer engagement at LMU Career and Professional Development.
On Friday evening, more than 3,700 students, friends, and family members attended LMU’s Lip Sync competition hosted by Sorority and Fraternity Life, which raised money for the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, the largest provider of financial assistance to families of kids with cancer in the U.S. Before the competition began, the event kicked off with some opening remarks from Joe McDonough, Andrew’s father and founder of the B+ Foundation and the first of several miracle minutes to raise money throughout the evening. The competition had three miracle-minute moments, where the audience was encouraged to raise extra donations and support their favorite sorority or fraternity for the People’s Choice award. The evening concluded with the announcement of the winners of the competition for various awards:
- Fraternity Winner: Delta Sigma Phi, InterFraternity Council;
- Sorority Winner: Delta Gamma, Collegiate Panhellenic Council;
- Most Entertaining: Delta Sigma Phi, InterFraternity Council;
- Best Story: Alpha Phi, Collegiate Panhellenic Council;
- Choreography: Delta Gamma, Collegiate Panhellenic Counci;l
- People’s Choice: Sigma Chi, InterFraternity Council, and Delta Gamma, Collegiate Panhellenic Council.
On Friday night, families of the Class of 2024 also had a unique moment to celebrate their graduating seniors during the annual Senior Family Toast hosted by University Advancement. In his toast to the Class of 2024, Hartz shared, “You didn’t walk into your first college class; you logged into it,” said Hartz. “You didn’t meet your first friend asking for directions; you met them in a breakout room. You conquered a hill that few have triumphed, and even fewer have done so in the way that you did. As you built your own lives, you also built back LMU. So, I’ll be biased, but I think we are a special class. A special class with special families who supported us through these challenges…I know even beyond the bluff, we’ll be able to lean on each other. And while there is much that I don’t know, I can’t wait to find out. There is nothing quite as special as the present … I can’t think of a better way to describe this group. Congrats to the Class of 2024!”
Other events throughout the weekend included a town hall with Provost Poon, a meet and greet with the Dean of Students, the Black Family Barbeque, Mane Entertainment’s Best Dance Crew, Java with the Jesuits, and so much more. LMU announced during the weekend that this annual tradition will move to the fall semester starting next academic year and will take place on Oct. 24-27, 2024.
