Beaming with Pride
This summer, the Widener community is taking to Twitter and Instagram to share their pride with the world.
Students, alumni, faculty, and staff are posting about the impact Widener has had on them, whether it’s the lifelong friendships forged, the eye-opening study abroad experiences, or how opportunities inside the classroom and out have helped place them on the path to fulfilling lives and successful careers.
It’s all part of the annual Forbes magazine #MyTopCollege national social media contest, which seeks to crown the college with the “buzz-worthiest school spirit.” More than halfway into the eight-week-long contest (it ends Aug. 9), Widener is ranked among the top 10 in the country.
How did we get here? Tweets like this one from alumnus David Almacy ’92…
Widener is #MyTopCollege because it helped shape me into who I am today. Great education, excellent fraternity experience, good friends, student government, theatre, strong work:life skills. Thanks, @WidenerUniv! @Forbes @WidenerPoliSci pic.twitter.com/G9PdNohHAy
— David Almacy (@almacy) July 10, 2018
Or this one from Aidan Hostetter ’19, a political science / international relations and French major…
#MyTopCollege is @WidenerUniv for giving me global opportunities no other college would and helped me become a student leader #WidenerLeadershipWorks
-my internship for the Quebec government
-meeting former UK Prime Minister David Cameron
-EuroSim: a simulation of the EU pic.twitter.com/WhQ4aoX9LL— not aidan (@first0aidan0kit) July 16, 2018
To participate in the contest, publicly tweet or post to Instagram using #MyTopCollege and tagging Widener’s main accounts - Twitter: @WidenerUniv; Instagram: @wideneruniversity.
Forbes counts one post per person per day. So daily posts are encouraged.
Some of the best posts are featured on Forbes’ website and shared on their social channels. Each week Forbes ranks the top 10 schools in the country, and at the end of the contest, will crown ultimate winners in three school-size categories.
Each week carries a specific impact theme. During week 3 (study abroad), communication studies major Sam DeVecchis ’19 posted about how Widener international study opportunities introduced him to travel and transformed his life: “The world opened up, my horizons expanded, I got to see completely new people, lifestyles, and mindsets. It changed me.... I am unfathomably thankful for the opportunities Widener has provided as they have irreversibly changed the course of my life and allowed me to grow in ways I never knew I could. SO THANKS WIDENER ❤”
During week 4 (friendship theme), alumna Diamond Schuler '18 posted this gem...
Well everyone it’s #friendshipweek in the #MyTopCollege contest and of course I have to S/O my amazing university @WidenerUniv and my lifelong friends and connections that I made at Widener. #PridePack #WidenerMade pic.twitter.com/TC3kCPvIP3
— Diamond Dawn❤️ (@DropOfADime_) July 10, 2018
Faculty and staff members have also been sharing poignant as well as light-hearted reflections of Widener. Brent Satterly, associate professor of social work, shared this tweet…
#MyTopCollege is @WidenerUniv because social work students get out of the classroom and into the community to promote social change! #WidenerSW pic.twitter.com/klaEgqWq9l
— Brent Satterly (@basatterly) July 16, 2018
Darrell Spurlock, associate professor of nursing, posted about the commitment and dedication of his colleagues…
My faculty colleagues at @WidenerUniv are dedicated to excellence in teaching, scholarship, & service. Strong faculty collaboration and the active engagement of our students in university life is why Widener is the college of choice for so many. #MyTopCollege @WidenerNursing pic.twitter.com/mgJgVJxRnd
— Darrell Spurlock Jr. (@doctordarrellrn) July 10, 2018
And, of course, President Julie Wollman has been actively tweeting about all the reasons Widener is her top college…
One of the many things I love about @WidenerUniv —I get to switch places with our “Pres for a Day” (he’s behind me in the tie) and spend a full day each year as a student—classes, clubs, cafeteria & all. https://t.co/OURCvWmUoQ.Ever. @WidenerUniv is #MyTopCollege pic.twitter.com/CgPDBQDeI8
— President Wollman (@WidenerPres) June 26, 2018
Yep. I do that, too. @WidenerUniv is #MyTopCollege because the baseball team let me pitch, once. #sportsweek @WidenerBaseball pic.twitter.com/kiojX590Pd
— President Wollman (@WidenerPres) July 17, 2018
So join the chorus, and show the world what makes Widener such a special place.
