Family Weekend is filled with fun and activities for students to enjoy with their loved ones. With about 26 percent of the student population from out of state and families traveling to Tucson, this point in the year is a busy time for the UA and the city.
According to CollegeXpress, about 10,500 of the UA’s roughly 40,000 students are out-of-state students.
Family Weekend activities involve all of the different groups on our campus.
Miles Glick, a junior studying public management and policy and global studies, said he is eager for his family to arrive for the weekend’s festivities.
Originally from Camarillo, Calif., Glick gets to see his family over the holidays, but other than that, he is usually in Tucson most of the year.
This will be his parents’ second year participating in Family Weekend festivities; they came when he was a freshman in 2012. Glick said that he loves sharing the campus with his parents and showing them what his life here is like — not only on campus, but also in the city of Tucson.
“I really love [the] UA, the campus community and the overall atmosphere,” Glick said. “I want them to be able to experience why I love this school so much and have a great time doing so.”
Glick said he and his parents will also attend the Tucson Meet Yourself festival, which is a “folklife” festival that focuses on presenting the different cultures within Tucson.
Ryan Spencer, a psychology sophomore, said she is also excited for her parents and two younger brothers to arrive from Danville, Calif., for Family Weekend. While her parents were in town for Family Weekend during her freshman year, this will be her brothers’ first time. Spencer is also a part of the Delta Gamma sorority and said her sorority plans its own events for the weekend, including a family brunch where the sorority sisters can meet each other’s families and get to know their house.
“It’s important for me, because I’m super close with my family,” Spencer said, “and while it’s great visiting home, it’s awesome to have them come here and see what I’m doing and get a feel for my life here in Arizona.”
Spencer said her favorite part about Family Weekend is having her family here so they can spend time together.
Zeina Peterson, a junior studying journalism and sociology who is originally from Princeton, N.J., said her parents are drawn to academics and are looking forward to seeing where she studies and spends a lot of her time.
“They’re really big advocates of education, so the first thing they want to do is see the school and see where my classes are,” Peterson said. “They want to be involved and see what I’m doing in school. Then second, of course, the UA versus USC game.”
Peterson said her parents plan to meet with her advisors and professors, and that she may even bring her dad to class with her.
“It’s super important for my family to be here, because I’m a junior and I am getting older, and it’s kind of cool to see the transformation from freshman year to now,” Peterson said. “I’m appreciative that my family is able to fly here from Jersey and experience a time when a lot of families are out here.”
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