Though they showed remarkable resilience and spirit as they began their college careers during the pandemic, it was clear that the Class of 2024 deserved more of a connection to WPI than it was able to have in its first year. Matt Foster, associate director of the Housing & Residential Experience Center, Angela Romano, assistant director of academic advising, and Christine Ziev, associate director of student activities, spent the summer collaborating with faculty, staff, and student organizations to address the issue. Their solution came in the form of the Sophomore Experience, or SophEx.
This voluntary, yearlong program aims to provide sophomores with an engaging, supportive, community-focused series of events through Topic Community meetings based on shared interests and social activities as they continue their journeys at WPI.
“We want to offer them more of a connection to WPI than they might not have been able to have in the past year,” Foster explained in a previous article. “We want to give them a better understanding of our traditions, the things that happen year-to-year that weren’t able to take place because of the pandemic. We want them to be able to feel that connection and be reminded of why they chose WPI in the first place.”
How’s it going so far? Well, with a flurry of activities—everything from tie-dye events and sports nights to a rundown on WPI traditions—it’s probably easier if we just show you. (Spoiler alert: it’s a lot of fun!)
