A Home Away from Home

From Sept. 23-25, Sacred Heart University held its annual three-day Homecoming event where students and alumni were able to come together and celebrate school traditions.

One of the events that took place during the weekend was the SHU Sports Communication Round table that was held on Sept. 23. The round table brought back alumni who now work for sports media organizations such as ESPN, the MLB Network and Bleacher Report.

Returning alumni like Ryan Sanudo were amazed at all of the changes that have taken place on campus from when he was a student.

“It’s amazing to be back,” said Sanudo. “Seeing Sacred Heart in its new form with new facilities and new buildings is kind of crazy to witness considering how it used to look when I attended the university.”

Other alumni were excited to reminisce with old friends and professors.

“It’s always great to come back to Sacred Heart and see old friends and professors,” said alumnus Gus Pfisterer. “It’s incredible to see the wonderful change the campus has gone through.”

Another event that was held was the football game where the Pioneers faced Dartmouth College in the afternoon. With the game proceeding all the way to overtime, Sacred Heart was able to claim a 38-31 victory over the Big Green.

Sophomore Jake Walsh, a student-athlete who plays on the Sacred Heart football team as a long-snapper, was most excited about the turnout in the stands.

“The crowd was electric for the entirety of the game,” said Walsh. “It was cool seeing people who used to play come and support us. It was also nice to get the victory against a very disciplined Dartmouth team.”

Certain students were also able to contribute to the game on the sidelines. Sophomore Eamon Bednarcik explained his experience on what it was like to work during the game.

“I had fun during the game,” said Bednarcik. “I liked being on the sidelines watching various actions take place. If there ever was a problem on the field or with certain camera work, I was able to take responsibility and make sure those problems were fixed.”

After the game ended, recent graduates were able to talk about their experience watching the game as a graduate rather than a student.

“It was a great experience realizing how much a community can build you up for the world and prepare you in the best way possible for the unknowns,” said 2022 graduate Ahjante Rampersad. “Having this feeling of being welcomed back home and seeing familiar faces who I have had the chance to grow with and new creations is definitely a humbling experience.”

For post-graduate student Chris Ortega, it was good to see many students in the position to meet various alumni and have the chance to meet with many people with their own experiences.

“Seeing so many students having the chance to meet alumni and grab the chance to learn from the past is a beautiful thing to me,” said Ortega. “Hopefully this will allow the current students to learn what they should do for the future. This is not just important for them, but for future students as well. If all of the current students can learn a lot from all of the alumni this weekend, this will influence them to teach the same lessons they learned to the next generation, and the cycle will eventually continue.”

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Assistant Perspectives Editor and Perspectives Editor

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