Best of CASE District I Award
 

Institution: Fairfield University

Title of entry: First Year "Letters from Home"

About this entry: There are few more stressful times in a first-year student's college experience than the end of their first semester. With the winter break just weeks away, the anticipation of a long-awaited return home is building. There may also be some feelings of nervous anticipation surrounding the first experience with final exams. Students are tired, overwhelmed and ready to return home, recharge, and see their families. The Student Alumni Association's "Letters from Home" program was a new initiative in 2022 which allowed provided families an opportunity to encourage their student from afar by sharing personal notes of encouragement, words of wisdom, and/or tips and tricks for navigating the rest of the semester, and achieving success. All notes were then hand-delivered to first-year students in their dorms by members of the Student Alumni Association.