Homecoming Draws Record Turnout

More than 6,500 students and alumni returned to campus for Homecoming Weekend, marking a record level of participation for the event.

“We’ve continued to see the trend that our homecoming attendance continues to rise,” said Vanessa Otarola (NHS ’08), director of class enrollments and reunion campaigns for the Office of Advancement. “We really think it’s due to the fact that we’re expanding Homecoming Weekend each year … trying to get it away from just being focused on the tailgate and really looking at opportunities for unique programming [for] various constituencies.”

Changes to this year’s schedule included the addition of alumni events for specific student groups, a photo station and the revival of family movie night on Copley lawn Friday, an event that was open to students, alumni, faculty and members of the broader Georgetown community.

“This is the first time we involved the neighbors,” Otarola said. “I think they felt appreciated to be included.”

Though homecoming does not focus on fundraising, a record number of more than 1,000 current seniors and young alumni of the past five graduation years participated in a giving challenge leading up to the weekend, according to Otarola. She declined to comment on how much money was raised.

Otarola said that engagement efforts for this year’s homecoming focused on young alumni and current students rather than older alumni.

“We really see homecoming as a way to engage our students, our young alumni and really all of our alumni, fostering this sense of community and class identity — really looking at future generations of Hoyas and how Georgetown will be for generations to come,” she said.

All homecoming attendees received an email survey, and according to Otarola, 240 responses had been sent back as of Thursday.

The Office of Advancement worked with the Senior Class Committee and student volunteers to staff homecoming events.

“It’s really exciting to see all the alums walk in and find their classmates and get really excited about seeing them,” student volunteer Janice Medina (NHS ’15) said.