Shadow Day will mark its 20th anniversary at the University on Friday, March 23, when 94 fifth-grade students from the Syracuse City School District’s Seymour Dual Language Academy visit campus for the day. The event, formerly coordinated by University College, will be run under the auspices of Community Engagement for the first time this year. The event has also received generous support from multiple departments across campus that have made donations.
Seymour Dual Language Academy fifth-grade students visit Manley Field House during 2017’s Shadow Day.
“Shadow Day is a key event for the fifth grade at Seymour School,” says Bea González, vice president for community engagement. “It has become a tradition that the students look forward to as they reach grade 5. The SU students see Shadow Day as an opportunity to give back to their community and pay it forward. That is certainly true for me as an alum of Seymour.”
González says that after meeting with Thomas Rosaschi, the event’s coordinator at Seymour, they modeled a campus visit for the students. The day will start out with a welcome reception in Maxwell Auditorium, where the Seymour students will meet University students and get breakfast. Chancellor Kent Syverud will welcome them, along with González. The Admissions Office will make a presentation, which will be followed by a group photo.
The next couple of hours will be spent touring campus or visiting academic classes. As time allows, the students will visit the following places:
After lunch at the Schine Student Center, the students will be taken by bus to Manley Field House and the Carmelo Anthony Center. There, they will get a tour of the facilities and meet some of the student athletes.
González says that the day’s activities have changed a little bit over the years, but at its core it has always been about providing the Seymour students with the opportunity to see themselves as college students. “We introduce them to our own undergraduates, many with similar backgrounds, and remind them that they too can attend Syracuse or any other university, especially since the University has given the promise of tuition support via the Say Yes program,” she says.
About Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private, international research university with distinctive academics, diversely unique offerings and an undeniable spirit. Located in the geographic heart of New York State, with a global footprint, and nearly 150 years of history, Syracuse University offers a quintessential college experience. The scope of Syracuse University is a testament to its strengths: a pioneering history dating back to 1870; a choice of more than 200 majors and 100 minors offered through 13 schools and colleges; nearly 15,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students; more than a quarter of a million alumni in 160 countries; and a student population from all 50 U.S. states and 123 countries. For more information, please visit www.syracuse.edu.
