This is the first out of three open houses hosted by Westfield State University for the fall 2025 semester. Open house begins in Parenzo then branches off into academic breakouts and campus tours.
Sat, Oct. 18 2025 8:30am
Preparation
There are about 30 student leaders, Ambition Ambassadors, who are all gathered and getting ready for the incoming prospective students and families. They are socializing with each other and discussing their roles for the day.
I spoke to Olivia Stefanick, it is her first open house as an Ambition Ambassador, she is excited to guide the prospective students around the Westfield State campus. “It’s my first open house and I want the prospective students to fall in love with Westfield just as I did during my open house when I went here.”
Katelyn Shea, who is the associate director of first year admission, gives announcements to the ambassadors about how the day will run. Shea describes how the prospective students and families will come into Parenzo, get some breakfast at the buffet then go into the auditorium for the speech and panel. From the panel, prospective students will be broken up based on their college. The two colleges are the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Professional Studies. “Since the College of Arts is a smaller group, they will go on a tour first,” Shea explains. From there she gives tips on the tour and how to execute it. Shea shares that there is an expected large number of prospective students and parents for this open house.
Sat, Oct. 18 2025 8:50am
First Prospective Student Arrives
As more prospective students and their families start to trickle in, I interviewed Michael Mazeika, who is the director of admissions, to discuss the process of how an open house is brought to life. Mazeika said that a lot of planning goes into these open houses and they start planning in the summer. So coming into the fall semester, the three open house dates are chosen then registration for the open houses can begin. “As the semester begins and everyone gets into the groove, we start to reach out to the faculty,” Mazeika said about involving other parts of campus. When it comes to the week of, Mazeika said that it’s chaos getting everything organized and ready. “We have 210 prospective students registered but not everyone will show,” Mazeika claimed. Mazeika also estimated that about 150-160 prospective students will show up including their family members; there could be up to 350 guests today.
Sat, Oct. 18 2025 9:00am
What’s Going on in the RIDE Center?
Families are trickling in and Ambition Ambassadors are handing out drawstring bags with goodies inside as well as schedules based on which college the prospective student is a part of inside of the RIDE Center. I spoke to a staff member in the RIDE Center as to why they use the space for an open house, they said to showcase student work and the opportunities the RIDE Center has to offer. The staff member I spoke to is not in a high position of authority for this reason they are not comfortable being named. I will keep them anonymous in respect of their privacy.
Sat, Oct. 18 2025 9:20am
Breakfast Time
In the space where the breakfast buffet is, there is a lot of chatter with about 60 prospective students and their parents as well as prospective students with ambition ambassadors. These families enjoy a variety of breakfast treats and beverages including fruit cups, cinnamon rolls, egg and cheese wake-up wraps, coffee, and orange juice while chatting. Some prospective students are talking about their aspirations for going to college and what they want their future career to be. The nervous and excited energy can be felt throughout the space. An Ambition Ambassador announces that there is 10 minutes until the presentation begins.
Sat, Oct. 18 2025 9:25am
Prospective Student View
I had the opportunity to interview a prospective student named Anna Namiotka. Namiotka is interested in the criminal justice program that is offered at Westfield State University. She mentioned that she has been on campus before because she has had a few track meets here. If Namiotka attends WSU, she would like to major in psychology or criminal justice to help her pursue a possible future as a forensic psychologist or a lawyer. “In my high school my forensic teacher introduced me to being a forensic psychologist and it seems like something I would be really interested in.” At this moment Namiotka is a senior at Wachusett Regional High School in Holden, MA. Overall Namiotka said that her first impression so far is that WSU has a very welcoming environment, she is very excited to learn more about her major later today.
Including Anna Namiotka, I also interviewed another prospective student. Drew came to the open house today because he is just looking for schools. He is hoping to have a career in athletic training. So far Drew is enjoying WSU. “I really enjoy small schools,” Drew said when I asked what brought him to WSU. Drew is most excited to see the campus later on today.
Sat, Oct. 18 2025 9:25am
Welcome Ceremony
Dr. Kevin Hearn gives the opening speech. Dr. Hearn thanks all of the guests for attending and the staff for making the day possible. He then goes into a presentation showcasing all of the accomplishments done by WSU students. Specifically, this is the 5th year in a row that WSU won the Smith Cup. “You can play anywhere but, you win at Westfield,” Dr. Hearn said when talking about the athletic wins. From there Dr. Hearn gives his “Why Westfield” speech presenting the financial opportunities, the WISE gen eds, the new dual advising, and the alumni pride Westfield has.
Dr. Hearn then introduced Philecia O’Connell, who explains how the rest of the day will go and general housekeeping.
Sat, Oct. 18 2025 9:56am
Westfield State Panel
Katelyn Shea conducts the student panel, which includes a variety of people connected to WSU. On the panel there is a member of the Social Work faculty, Maureen Clark, the director of the LEAD scholars LaToya Wilson, a current senior Lauren Fernendez, a current sophomore named Kevin Conte, an alumni and current parent of a WSU freshmen Kristin Hurley, a recent alumni named Daniel Currier, and the director of the Career Center Junior Delgado. Each member gave their individual “Why Westfield” statement when introducing themselves. Conte said “I don’t want to be lost in a big school” as to why he chose Westfield. Delgado gives insight about what makes WSU students stand out to employers, his reason is that employers have had great success with WSU students. Kristin Hurley talks about how helpful and responsive the staff is. When talking about student support, LaToya Wilson shares that they do everything they can to “put pieces in place to help students from not falling through the cracks.” Lauren Fernandez speaks about all of the events on campus, specifically Flight Fest, that she enjoys.
Sat, Oct. 18 2025 10:40am
Off They Go!
Prospective students and families are now broken up into their respective groups based on their college. Some go on a tour and some stay in the auditorium for an academic presentation. The final count at this time when I spoke to the group of people who checked everyone in is about 145 prospective students who arrived for this open house.
