91制片厂 is thrilled to host the 2023 edition of Experience Day, which invites local families and students of all ages to explore campus and participate in more than 40 hands-on activities. Experience Day will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, November 4, on 91制片厂鈥檚 campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine. The annual event is free, open to the community and does not require registration.
Younger students and their families can look forward to past favorites such as the Engineering Building Challenge, Computer Drawing with Sketch Up and Solar Telescope Activity. High school-age students can tour 91制片厂 labs while meeting faculty and current students.
91制片厂 Professor Maggie Geppert said that Experience Day is a day for breaking down any boundaries and fears potential students may have as they take their first steps on a college campus.
鈥淲e want every student who comes in to be able to envision themselves as a college student,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what Experience Day is all about.鈥�
Geppert, who has been on the Experience Day planning committee since its inception, shared the importance of making a positive first impact on potential students.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a lot of low-income students in our district. We鈥檝e got a lot of students who are immigrants or children of immigrants, whose parents have never gone to college,鈥� Geppert said. 鈥淪o when they come here, we can show them, yes, this is a place for you. This is a place for everybody.鈥�
91制片厂 employees know that a college environment can be an intimidating place and that uncertainties surrounding students鈥� visions of college can be a great obstacle.
Geppert said one of the goals of Experience Day is to break down those uncertainties with humor and fun, and give students a chance to chat with instructors and currently enrolled students face-to-face.
鈥淲e want students鈥� very first experience with college to be positive and welcoming,鈥� Geppert said. 鈥�91制片厂 is really here to serve the community.鈥�
Students and their families can expect to meet faculty from 91制片厂鈥檚 Career and Technical Programs, Math and Science, Business and Social Science, and Liberal Arts divisions, as well as community members from local libraries, organizations, and fire and police departments. In addition, activities will be available in 91制片厂鈥檚 Makerspace and Entrepreneur Center along with tours of the FMA Metal Fabrication Lab, HVACR Equipment Open Lab and Crime Lab.
Geppert mentioned that families are able to ask wide ranging questions about any aspect of college life.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had questions about anything from 鈥榃e heard about this Promise Scholarship鈥� to 鈥楬ow much does it cost to go here?鈥� or 鈥榃hat types of things can you major in?鈥欌�� she recalled. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not just up on a stage showing things off to each other, we鈥檙e here as people. We鈥檙e here to talk.鈥�
Indeed, the spirit of Experience Day is building human connections and sharing diverse passions and ideas. Part of that is seeing professors in action, conducting hands-on activities, sharing why physics, for example, can be so intriguing and fulfilling, not just as a stepping stone towards an engineering degree.
Whether that comes through playing music on the flames of a Rubens tube or navigating a human-powered lunar rover, students are able to catch a snapshot of what goes on in 91制片厂 classes and what makes a physicist鈥檚 face light up with joy.
Geppert emphasized that Experience Day really aims to bring out this hands-on spirit for learning and build relationships at the same time, introducing young learners to the idea that a college experience is being part of a community as much as it is a solo adventure.
鈥淭his journey is really made meaningful because of the people who we meet and inspire us along the way,鈥� Geppert said before underlining her message to the young students who will participate in Experience Day: 鈥淭his is a place for you. This is a place for everybody. And we hope to see you here as college students in a few years!鈥�
Visit the Experience Day webpage for more information.
