UHV ready to welcome students’ families for weekend of fun
The University of Houston-Victoria is gearing up to welcome students’ families to campus for its annual Family Weekend on Oct. 5 and 6 featuring a magic show and a picnic on campus with games.
“Family Weekend is an important event because we want our students’ families to feel like they are part of UHV’s family,” said Sara Weinstein, a UHV Student Life coordinator. “They’ll have the opportunity to see the campus and meet the faculty and staff members their students interact with every day while also getting to learn what their students like most about the university.”
The weekend will begin at 7 p.m. Friday with an opening reception in UHV University North, 3007 N. Ben Wilson St. The reception will be catered by Vela Farms and is sponsored by the UHV School of Business Administration. Families will have a chance to mingle and meet some of the university’s leadership as well as take photos with the university’s jaguar mascot, jaX, and pick up some UHV swag.
At 8 p.m., families are invited to a magic show by Robby Bennett in the UHV University North Walker Auditorium. All Family Weekend events are free.
On Saturday, the fun continues with the UHV President’s Picnic from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Pyramid Row in the middle of campus. There will be booths for various campus offices as well as student organizations with games and prizes. There also will be a dunking booth, inflatable games for kids and a DJ. Students, their families and faculty and staff also will receive free food and drinks.
“I am looking forward to welcoming our students’ families to UHV and hosting this picnic,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “There is so much growth and excitement in store for UHV’s future, and we want to share that excitement with our students’ families.”
Jacklyn Medina and her family had a great experience during last year’s Family Weekend. The UHV graduate student from San Antonio received a surprise visit from her mom, stepfather and sister during the event.
“I was going to be working during some of the events, so I didn’t expect them to come, but they wanted to surprise me,” Medina said. “It was really nice to be able to take pictures with them at UHV and show them what I do here. They’re always asking how school is going, so it was a good chance to show them how UHV is growing and where I’m studying and working every day.”
One of her family’s favorite events was the President’s Picnic with all the food and games with prizes. Medina’s mother was especially good at playing the games.
“She has a lot of experience from playing similar games before, so she was just winning everything,” Medina said. “She even won the prize for guessing how many jelly beans were in a jar. My mom decorates her office with all these little things from our family activities, so now she has some UHV things in her office, too.”
This year, Medina’s mother is taking her own college courses, so the family won’t be able to attend, but the event was a good way to share the UHV experience, Medina said. She hopes others will have a fun time, just like her family did.
“This is a great way to help families feel like they are a part of what their students are experiencing at UHV,” she said. “It’s also good for the students, because it feels like part of home has come here for a little bit.”
To learn more about Family Weekend activities, contact Weinstein at 361-485-4496 or weinsteinse@uhv.edu.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
