Goshen College hosted Celebrate Scholars Day last Saturday, an opportunity for high-achieving high school students to learn more about GC’s offered academic programs. While on campus, students attended presentations and panels from current GC students and staff, as well as a fine arts showcase in Umble, which featured music, readings and more. 

Prospective students also underwent interviews related to achievement scholarships that they’ve applied for. 

Steve Wolma, vice president for enrollment management, said, “Celebrate Scholars is an opportunity for us to interact with highly engaged and talented prospective students. We invite them to campus and showcase the educational experience they will have in an effort to help them make the decision to join us as students in the fall.”

“We were pleased with the turnout. … They seemed really interested in what we had to offer,” Wolma said.

According to the admissions department, 28 prospective students attended from the local area as well as Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania. 

Charlotte Witmer-Rich is a senior at Kenston High School in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. If she decides to go to GC, Witmer-Rich plans on majoring in physics. 

“It was really great to meet other prospective students,” Witmer-Rich said. “That was probably my favorite part … to connect with people and see who I could potentially be going to school with next year.”

For Witmer-Rich, the highlight of her day was the fine arts showcase, which featured current GC students performing various works of art. Phillip Witmer-Rich, Charlotte’s older brother, read a piece he wrote titled “Late-night Jitters.” 

Maddie Bollinger, a junior elementary education major with minors in music and Spanish, performed “O mio babbino caro,” an aria by Giacomo Puccini and Giovacchino Forzano.

“I’m always hopeful when we perform for those kinds of things that it attracts people to the school and to the program,” Bollinger said. “We want really strong performers coming into the music program.”

For Bollinger, the showcase served a dual purpose, allowing her to prepare for the upcoming Concerto-Aria while also taking in the performances from her peers.

“I really enjoyed, after I was done performing, just sitting in the audience and watching the rest of the people perform,” Bollinger said. “Fatima [Zahara] went after me and like, [I am] lucky to have such talented friends, so it’s really good to be able to have chances to just see your friends perform.”

After watching, Witmer-Rich said that the showcase “really showed off Goshen’s awesome arts department.”

Witmer-Rich is still undecided on where to attend in the fall, but Celebrate Scholars offered her a chance to get to know GC a little better. “I really enjoyed my day and definitely feel like I know a lot about Goshen College now.”