The Newman University admissions team works hard to make strong connections with potential Newman students within the community and outside its closer boundaries.
Director of Undergraduate Admissions Kristen English and Assistant Director of Admissions Georgia Drewes continued that work while representing the university at the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) Nov. 16-18 in Indianapolis.
According to the conference’s website, “Every other year, Catholic young people and their chaperones come together to pray, learn and grow in their faith. In addition to opportunities to receive the sacraments of the Eucharist and penance, NCYC participants attend general and breakout sessions on topics relevant to living as a disciple of Christ in today’s world, visit with organizations that provide resources and other support to youth and youth ministry, spend time in personal and communal prayer and engage in service to others.”
This is the second time Newman University has had a presence at the conference. Not only did the university have booth space but Newman sponsored 1,000 name badges that provided a strong visual boost for a Newman presence. Including Newman, there were 20 Catholic colleges represented at the event.
Young people from all 50 states attended the conference totaling more than 20,000 students. Drewes and English made it a point to speak with students from every state. They also made connections with students from Salina, Dodge City, Kansas City, Kansas, Oklahoma City and the Omaha dioceses. They also ran into some Newman alumni.
Drewes said, “In total, Kristen and I spent about 17 hours over three days staffing our booth.”
Students filled out a card with their information to learn more about the university and stay in touch. Drewes said freshmen counselors are hard at work contacting those students about the opportunities and benefits Newman has to offer.
Aside from the business aspect, the conference was fun for all involved. English said one of her favorite parts of the conference is seeing the tradition of outrageous hats and home-state themed outfits.
Drewes also said seeing the fun and positive impact attendees had on each other and realizing the hard work that it took for them to get there meant a lot to her. The event brought back old memories since Drewes attended the event when she was in high school and now as an adult can attend to make an impact in students’ lives.
