»¨½·Ö±²¥

Sights and Sounds from Accepted Students Day Celebrations

Each year, JWU welcomes newly accepted students to the Providence and Charlotte Campuses for Accepted Students Day, an exciting day of events for new students to celebrate their acceptance to JWU with their families and new classmates. 

Every Accepted Students Day kicks off with a photobooth, where students and families pose with Wildcat Willie and a variety of props (as you can see, it gets a little silly — but we love it!). Then, after enjoying a delicious lunch and meeting the campus president, families head out to tour campus and learn more about life at JWU. Information sessions cover orientation and residential life. There is also a student panel which is always popular. Plus, families can meet with financial planners to learn more about paying for college.  

Amid all the excitement, we asked some students and their families what they were most looking forward to about coming to JWU this fall and what they loved about celebrating at Accepted Students Day.  

Wildcat Willie walking through a crowd of people at ASD

“I am really excited for the hands-on experience here, both today and in the fall. There are a lot of opportunities offered here at JWU, and I’m excited for that!” 

— Nayeli Ballester ’28, Culinary Nutrition, Charlotte Campus 

Wildcat Willie posing with a family of three at ASD

“I am looking forward to the environment, meeting new people and getting my own independence. I chose JWU because it seemed like a good opportunity to get out there and learn about new cuisine, study abroad possibly and do a bunch of things I have never done before to step out of my comfort zone.” 

— Pierce McGuire ’28, Culinary Arts, Providence Campus 
 
“I absolutely love the programs at JWU. I will say we have a really good culinary school minutes away from us, but JWU tops everything that we could have expected for him to have. I’m nervous that he will be far away from where we live, but from everything we have seen and heard about JWU, I do not have a doubt he will be taken care of.”  

— Pierce’s mom, Katie McGuire  

Wildcat Willie posing with a mother and daughter at ASD

“I’m most excited about a new breath of freedom and meeting new people as well.” 

— Piper Feagin ’28, Business Administration, Charlotte Campus 

A student sitting in a crowd

“I chose JWU because it had everything I wanted — it’s the best culinary school and it also has business. So, it wasn’t restrictive at all. I’m excited to meet new people here and figure out what I want to do with my life.” 

— Arianna Ostrowski ’28, Culinary Arts and Food & Beverage Industry Management, Providence Campus 

“I am looking forward to seeing where Ariana is going to be for the next four years and just excited for all the possibilities for her. I was here with her when we came for the initial visit and we both loved it. I was definitely rooting for JWU. Ariana loves cooking and baking, but she also wanted to include business. This really is such a great school with a great reputation for both.” 

— Arianna’s mom, Stephanie Ostrowski 

A woman wearing a feather boa and headband with pompoms

“I’m here because I looked JWU up and saw that it has one of the top culinary programs in the country. I thought it would be a great place to learn new skills and be in a completely different environment. Charlotte is really nice — it’s like a small town but it has a lot, and it kind of reminds me of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, near my hometown. It also has the Spectrum Center where the NBA Charlotte Hornets play. It’s cool!” 

— Rayva Patel ’28, Baking & Pastry Arts, Charlotte Campus 

A student wearing a crown posing with Wildcat Willie

“I chose JWU because I really like the campus. It was very clean, and I liked the kitchens. I am looking forward to learning more about campus life and financial stuff before I start college. I’m most excited to learn how to cook and to explore internships.” 

— Norma Ortiz ’28, Culinary Arts and Food & Beverage Industry Management, Providence Campus 
 
“Today, I’m looking forward to learning about housing and what Norma will be learning about. I’m really excited that she is going to be learning from new people and having new experiences.” 

— Norma’s mom, Norma Soliván 

Three JWU students holding up pom poms

“I’m excited to meet my chefs and learn some history about cooking! I had so much fun at Accepted Students Day. The food we had was amazing and all the faculty were so bubbly and kind! JWU feels like home, and I’m excited to start in the fall.”  

— Corra Price ’28, Culinary Arts, Charlotte Campus 

“We’re excited for Corra to go to JWU, but we’re also excited she’s close to home, so we’ll still be networking with her, and her friends and family can still see her. And we’re excited she chose to go to culinary school. We’re ready for her to spread her wings and get out there and fly!”  

— Corra’s parents, Chris and Genesis Price 

Wildcat Willie posing with a girl giving a thumbs up to the camera

If you’re an accepted student and ready to make it official with JWU, check out your next steps. There’s still time to apply to JWU for fall enrollment, and scholarships are still available! 

Accepted Students    Visit JWU  Transfer to JWU