The campus community celebrated Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day on April 25.
President Geraldine Jones (second row, center) joins faculty, staff, volunteers and children for a photo op during Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.
“I like Cal U, and I think the people are nice.”
Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day had just begun on April 25, but it was already a good one for 11-year-old Ryan Connelly.
Cathy Connelly, a senior director of development for University Development and Alumni Relations, enjoyed spending time on campus with her son, who was looking forward to the code your own computer game activity.
“It’s very nicely done, and the setup with each kid getting a schedule with their events is almost like a day in the life of a college student,” she said. “They learn but have fun doing so.”
Grandchildren participated for the first time, so grandma Mary Kirk brought Aiden Collings and Emily Davis, both students at Marion Elementary School in Belle Vernon, Pa.
“They announce this day at their schools, so they’ve wanted to come for a couple of years now. When they found out grandchildren could come this year they both yelled, ‘Yes!’” said Kirk, a management technician in Cal U’s Office of Parking and Transportation. “They wanted to come to work with their grandma.”
Ann Bergamasco, a faculty member in the Department of Social Work, helped to coordinate faculty involvement. Dr. John Burnett and Tracy Breckenridge, of the Office of Social Equity, organized the overall event with support from the Office of the President.
Breckenridge credited nearly 80 student volunteers as well as many faculty, staff, and coaches who helped with the event. Before lunch, all the kids met and posed for a photo with Cal U’s coaches, student-athletes, cheerleaders and Cal U mascot Blaze.
“This is great day that’s about the kids,” she said. “We simply could not do it without the volunteers and really appreciate them. It’s truly a campus-wide team effort.”
Volunteer Cynthia Obiekezie, a junior psychology major, helped with registration. She enjoyed hearing Cal U student escorts explaining what they do on campus to the little ones.
“A community assistant compared his job to being a hall monitor at their school, and it was just so cute seeing them connect and understand,” Obiekezie said. “The kids were great, and I will definitely do this again next year if my schedule permits.”