Greetings to Our Wildcat Parents & Family Members! This past Sunday evening, roaring Wildcats could be heard across campus as many students took part in the Primal Scream, a Northwestern ritual which allows students the chance to release a little steam in anticipation of their impending finals- even in the library! Fall Quarter is quickly coming to an end as students are diligently completing their finals and heading out of town for Winter Break. It has certainly been a busy quarter filled with lots of every day moments like attending class, working on group projects, watching movies with friends, and some more momentous events such as Wildcat Welcome 2014, snow on Halloween, President Obama’s visit to campus and the Wildcats win against Notre Dame. If you will be spending the break with your student, I encourage you to help them reflect on the past quarter—what they learned about themselves and their community and what they’d like to do differently during the Winter quarter. Students should be thinking about what they want their summer to look like so they can start solidifying plans when they return. You may also want to talk with your students about dressing properly for frigid temperatures (because it’s coming…) and how they plan to tackle winter quarter—which typically comes with fewer sunny days and more academic challenges. Most importantly, if you are able to, you should spend the next few weeks enjoying the time with your student. Not a day goes by that I am not impressed with the intelligent, talented, hard working students, who make me laugh every day. I often ask the students I work with what their families did to make them this way—because I hope my young son and daughter will eventually possess many of their same qualities. As we get ready to embark upon a new year, please know that you have done a remarkable job with your student and that others in the world are fascinated by them. It does not just “happen” and that should be noted. On behalf of the Office of New Student and Family Programs, I wish you and your family a very magical holiday season filled with safe travels and memorable festivities.
Best Regards & As Always, Go ‘Cats! Patricia F. Hilkert Director of New Student and Family Programs Northwestern University