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Author Miranda Hasani '25 is a Sports, Entertainment, Event - Management major and works as a student assistant at JWU, contributing to JWU News.

Each fall, Johnson & Wales welcomes students’ families for a weekend of fun at our Providence and Charlotte campuses. This year’s events included fun activities, speaker panels, culinary experiences, a carnival and a 20-year celebration.  

The Charlotte Campus celebrated Family & Friends Weekend with a 20-year anniversary celebration of the campus itself. I learned about the significance of this weekend through staff and faculty and how students could enjoy the weekend with their family, interact with JWU alumni and get a glimpse into their future. 

Students at the Providence Campus also welcomed their families into the spaces where they learn and spend their time. For many students, it was their first Homecoming & Family Weekend, so I wanted to get the inside scoop from some of our new Wildcats on how they felt about their JWU experience so far and how their parents were enjoying their visit to campus. 

Celebrating 20 Years of Charlotte at Family & Friends Weekend  

Families celebrated Family & Friends Weekend through different activities including a Funny Bus Tour, Paint ‘N Sip, culinary programming and dancing to live music performances. The biggest part of the weekend was also celebrating the campus’ 20^th anniversary, which brought together JWU alumni, faculty, staff, current students and their families as well as members of the Charlotte community.

David Bateman-Schieler, the director of student engagement at the Charlotte Campus, was part of the planning team for Family & Friends Weekend. He described the weekend and the 20^th anniversary celebration as family members putting together a big reunion. He shared how weekends such as this one are integral to creating an everlasting community at JWU, one that graduates continue to participate in even after graduating. ‘‘‘Relatives’ of Johnson & Wales came from all over to celebrate and reaffirm their shared bond,” Bateman-Schieler said. “No matter if your time on campus overlapped or not, everyone was happy, well fed, entertained and interested in the experiences of other »¨½·Ö±²¥ Charlotte Wildcats!” 

Mali Towe ’25, a Culinary Nutrition student, had a great experience seeing JWU alumni back on campus and learning about the success they’ve had after graduating. “Seeing all the different directions the alumni went in — running restaurants, bakeries, catering companies and even wineries — and the real-life outcomes of a JWU education was inspiring, especially as an upcoming graduate myself,” she said.  

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Students also volunteered to work at the anniversary celebration, gaining valuable event experience while networking with alumni. "During my volunteer experience for the 20th anniversary, I had the opportunity to build valuable connections with alumni, enhance my skills in service and engage with staff and faculty from both JWU campuses,” said Caleb Brown ’27, a Culinary Arts student. “This experience has left a lasting impression on me and serves as a testament to the school's enduring commitment to excellence and lifelong learning." 

Current JWU Wildcats enjoyed time with their family and friends, while also interacting with people that were once in their shoes and have created lives to be proud of. 

Homecoming & Family Weekend in Providence  

Activities during JWU Providence’s Homecoming & Family Weekend included a ribbon cutting and naming ceremony for the new Chicken Coop at Harborside Academic Center, a Wildcat Chat with President Marie Bernardo-Sousa, LP.D., '92 at the Culinary Arts Museum, pumpkin decorating, a tailgate for women’s field hockey and men’s soccer games, a variety of carnival rides at Wildcat Wahoo, and food trucks, including Bun Buds, whose owners are JWU alumni. 

Attendees also experienced the Taste of the Ocean State event with different Rhode Island-based companies and JWU alumni owned or operated businesses. During this event, student-run culinary clubs – Culinaria Latina, Cooking Asia, and Afrocentric Cultural Cuisines — cooked and served Rhode Island dishes as well.  

The celebration extended into the evening, with students and families attending WaterFire, an art installation/event along the Providence River that has become a valued tradition in the city. 

First-year students reconnected with their family after their first few months of being away at college. Kyla Brown ’28 shared her perspective on starting out at JWU as a first-year student majoring in Cybersecurity. “So far, I’m liking it a lot. I find the campus environment to be inclusive and the professors are great,” Kyla said. “I chose to come to JWU because they have a direct credit transfer with the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI), and I already had a bunch of credits there. Also, I just loved the campus so much, and I loved the cool environment.” 

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Kyla spent the weekend with her mom, Jean Brown, who felt that JWU has a lot to showcase and offer to students and their families. “I have another daughter who's a freshman at a different college — their parents weekend is coming up, and it's not looking quite as exciting as this one, so we're really enjoying the different activities and everything,” said Jean. 

Jack Lowry ’28 also shared his thoughts about the start of the school year as a Food & Beverage Industry Management student. “I've loved it so far,” he shared. “My chefs are great, I love the building, I love what we do in labs and I like how we have some freedom with what we prepare and it’s not very rigid.” Jack welcomed his mom, Kristen, to campus for the weekend and she was ecstatic about getting to spend time with Jack after sending him off to college. 

First-year students weren’t the only ones reflecting on their time at JWU during Homecoming & Family Weekend — returning students also enjoyed the festivities. 

Providence student Miracle Robertson ’25, who is studying in the Business Administration program, said that she loved thinking back on her time here as she attended her last Homecoming & Family Weekend. “I know that probably sounds cheesy, but I feel like the professors are very enriching and everything that I take business wise, my major courses really help align me for my future career,” she said. 

Miracle reminisced on her experience as a student starting from before she even enrolled here. “I chose to come to JWU because I felt like they really appreciated me as a person,” she said. “Through my admission process, I felt like I was guided very well and also got scholarship opportunities that allowed me to come here from Covington, Georgia.” 

Dolores Edwards, Miracle’s mother, spoke about her impression of her daughter's successes in the program and how she loves the environment her daughter was able to learn in for the past several years. She also described the opportunity that JWU offered Miracle, which allowed her to thrive. “I think my heart fell when she went to South Korea for a semester, but I am proud because she came back from South Korea more independent, and she knows a lot more about being an adult. I think it taught her a lot about how to depend on herself and to take care of herself without me being around.” 

Hearing these students’ perspectives reminded me of my own experience transferring to JWU. I felt so welcomed by the faculty and that’s what made me want to come here. Now that I’ve been here for two years, I’ve discovered that everyone in the JWU community is here to nurture you and your family. Students are always offered enriching experiences like this weekend that cater to us and make our families proud. And one day, we’ll be back on campus to celebrate our successes and pave the way for the next generation of JWU students. 

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