On Friday, April 10, Ichabod’s sophomore junior day was held at Washburn A/B from 9 a.m-1 p.m. 

Ichabod sophomore junior day invited high school sophomores and juniors to visit campus and provided them with a general overview of Washburn. The event introduced available services and encouraged students to return for a personalized visit or consider applying or enrolling at Washburn. Attendees were also provided with food, drinks and lunch.

“Most of our campus tours are very individual and personalized. Students will go on a one on one tour. They’ll also meet with a faculty member and an admissions counselor,” said Hannah Kirby, assistant director of campus visit experience in the admissions office. “We want to make sure that they [students] feel welcome and feel that we have a good environment here where they’ll be supported. […]. The best thing about Washburn is the faculty and staff that we have here. As a student, you’ll be very supported in and outside of the classroom and if you’re living on campus, all of the people who really care about student success.” 

Kirby talked about highlighting the different scholarship opportunities available to students explaining the freshman merit scholarship which is based on GPA and she also mentioned the Shawnee County Promise program and the Northeast Kansas Advantage program which provides tuition free education for students who meet the requirements. 

“The campus community is very supportive. I’m a business major. I know all the business professors and every time I walk by them, they say Hi! or they greet me,” said Ben Curtis, student ambassador. “It’s just you actually have to put yourself out there. There are many different people here and different clubs that you can for sure, find where you belong[…] I loved my time here and I don’t think any other university could have matched that.” 

Curtis also mentioned Washburn highlights the resources available, such as the writing lab, math lab, tutoring services and career services, along with information about student clubs. Curtis said he was surprised by the strong alumni support at Washburn, similar to what is seen at larger universities.

Kelesa Hare, an attendee, explores the event with her daughter to explore and learn more about Washburn.

“I attended an event [at Washburn] with my older son two years ago and I was very impressed with the school, so I told my daughter that I thought it would be a good idea for us to come,” Hare said. “So, she enrolled us on this day. […] I didn’t really know what it was like before I came here but now seeing people and meeting people, I like it.” 

Jennifer Wiard, associate dean for Student Success, explained the university’s support system for students. 

“From my years of working at Washburn, [It]  has invested an incredible amount of institutional resources and personnel into their student success infrastructure,” Wiard said. Wiard highlighted tools such as a student app for easy access to support, software that simplifies degree planning and helps students understand prerequisites and a retention chatbot that regularly checks in with students about their transition and overall experience. 

The event included campus tours, information sessions and opportunities to learn about scholarships, tutoring services and career resources. Students and visitors also heard directly from university staff, student ambassadors and administrators about academic planning tools, support systems and ways to get involved on campus. The program aimed to help attendees understand what Washburn offers and guide them in making informed decisions about applying or enrolling.

Edited by Arohi Rai and Bidhya Sapkota