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Greetings Blue Jay Families! It's hard to believe that the school year is finally coming to a close—and what an unprecedented year it has been. There were challenges, learning curves, and many modifications, but through it all, the welfare and safety of our students continued to be our top priority. Furthermore, the university invested in a great number of resources to ensure that the integrity of the academic experience was not compromised.
We would also like to congratulate our Class of 2021 graduates! We realize that your student's last year wasn’t exactly how they planned it would be. However, they committed themselves, stayed on task, and finished their journey. They have now earned their Hopkins degree! Best of luck to each of them in their endeavors. If our office can ever help you in the future, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Please know that both you and your student will always be a part of the “nest”.
For those families whose students are not graduating this spring, we have provided a link below to a transition resource document to share with your student to help them navigate through the summer. If needed, please encourage your student to reach out to the offices mentioned.
Thank you again for being a valued partner throughout this year, and we hope you have a wonderful summer with your student. If you have further questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Regards,
Kesha Williams
Director of Parent and Family Relations
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Your Blue Jay is Ready for the Real World...Now What?
As your Blue Jay prepares to take their next steps beyond Homewood, the Life Design Lab remains steadfast in our focus of making sure each student is equipped to tackle every challenge and new experience that lies beyond JHU. Through our drop-in hours with our Life Design Educators and workshops such as “The Adulting Series”, we continue to develop responsive programming and offer one-on-one support for students who desire to find more information on job preparedness. “The Adulting Series” is an informative virtual workshop that gives students introductory information on developing credit, applying for apartments and housing, salary negotiation, filing taxes, and many more topics. Please view our website for more information.
Another program we offer at the Life Design Lab is the Summer Institute. The Life Design Summer Institute provides students with an 8-week course rooted in the principles of design thinking. Upon completion of the Life Design Summer Institute, participants will be appointed as Life Design Fellows for the next academic year and will have access to exclusive professional development opportunities and resources, including the opportunity to be matched to alumni for a long-term mentoring relationship. Please reach out to Justin Lorts, jlorts@jhu.edu, for more information on this.
The Life Design Lab is also committed to continuing to adjust and redesigning our approach to student support and engagement through our collection of data and feedback from our students. Now through graduation, we are collecting as much information as we can. Every graduating student is sent a First Destination Survey that not only helps us understand broadly where our students are going, but identify students whose pursuit of graduate school and searches for jobs are ongoing.
Finally, while the Life Design Lab is primarily focused on the support of our current undergraduate and graduate students on campus, the opportunities to engage with our office for recent graduates is available through access to ample programming and events that support our lifelong learners at Future Fest, Alumni Weekend, and through campus partners.
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Top 5 Things to Know About Commencement 2021
- Graduates must RSVP for the seniors-only ceremony, whether they plan to attend or not, in order to have their name called. Please encourage your student to complete the form on MarchingOrder before May 9 so they are recognized.
- Commencement is Thursday, May 27 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The rain date is scheduled for Friday, May 28 at 11:30 a.m. ET. An announcement will be made on the Commencement website the morning of May 27 to confirm the ceremony date and time.
- Family, friends, and guests are invited to join via livestream. So that we may provide the safest experience for the participating graduates, we ask that family and friends not come to campus for the event, but you are welcome to take family photos outdoors on-campus on the days leading up to and after the ceremony. In adherence to campus protocols, all guests must wear a mask and maintain a 6-foot physical distance within their group and between their group and others.
- A link to the livestream will be available on the Stories & Pictures page the week of May 24.
- We are accepting baby photos of your graduate for our Parent Shout-out series on Facebook. Email commencement@jhu.edu with a photo of your graduate and your congratulatory message. We’ll be posting throughout May.
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Programming & Activities Roundup
The Hopkins Parents Fund, managed by Parents Programs and Giving, helps support student programming and activities that enhance student life and provide an important balance to the rigorous JHU academic experience. Here are few updates on recent and upcoming events supported by the Parents Fund.
Spring Fair: Connecting as Blue Jays
Celebrating 50 years of Spring Fair (1972-2021)
Celebrating 50 years, this year’s annual Spring Fair took place on April 23–25 and highlighted safe and creative ways to participate in a fun weekend of activities within the bounds of public health guidance and safety protocols. This year’s theme, “Connecting as Blue Jays,” showcased the many opportunities presented to our students both virtually and in-person to stay connected and create lasting memories. Spring Fair events included a menu of activities such as virtual entertainment, DIY craft activities, an outdoor DJ streaming on the quads, and food trucks. A gallery of photos from Spring Fair is available in the Hub.
Last Day of Class Celebration
As a part of our Mattin Center Celebration, our Last Day of Class Celebration took place on April 30, and our students were treated to a festival with a silent disco, the DMC’s ConnexUS interactive light exhibit, and awesome giveaways.
First-Year Class Event
The First-Year Class Council opted to postpone their annual class event until spring 2022.
Sophomore Class Event: Garden Party
On Wednesday, April 28, our sophomore students were treated to a garden party on the quads of Homewood Campus, featuring food, a photo booth, games, grab-and-go prizes, and a live DJ.
Junior Class Event: Outdoor Movie Night
On Friday, April 30, our junior class students elected to have an outdoor movie night on Homewood Field. Each student was treated to pre-packaged snacks and a night under the stars.
Senior Class Event: Senior Day Event
On Friday, May 21, the Senior Class Council will be downsizing their Senior Week events and re-envisioning the MSE-Ya Later Party. The annual event will have some of the historically expected elements, such as alcohol and food, but will be limited to groups of 25 students. Grab-and-go prizes, games, a photo booth, and a DJ will also be a part of the fun.
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Important DatesMay 3-4
Reading Days
May 5-13
Final Examination Period
May 19
Last day to change grading system for May 2021 graduation candidates
May 21
Senior Class Council Senior Send-Off
May 27
University Commencement
June 3
Last day to change grading system for all other undergraduates
Move-In Dates
Aug. 24: Full NSO schedule starts
Aug. 26 and 27: Second-Year Move-In
Aug. 27 and 28: Quarantine, isolation and testing
Aug. 28-29: Second-Year Onboarding/Welcome Weekend
Aug. 29: Convocation
Family Weekend dates are October 15–17. This year's event will be held in conjunction with Young Alumni Weekend. Stay tuned for more information coming soon.
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Upcoming Webinars
Our next Blue Jay Family webinar, Your Blue Jay is now Ready for the Real World-What's Next?, is scheduled for Sunday, May 2 at 7 p.m. ET. Please click here to register.
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Virtual Town Hall on Fall Planning
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Contact Us
Be sure to also "like" our Facebook Page to find resources and opportunities for your student to get involved!
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