|
|
|
Our Highlights:
Boiler Gold Rush 2025 Recap: Learn more about our Boiler Gold Rush 2025 highlights including BGR Indianapolis, BGRi, and more.
Staff Introductions: Meet our current professional staff, this year’s Student Orientation Committee, and our 2025 student leader award winners.
Save the Date: Purdue Day of Giving 2026
Boiler Gold Rush 2025 Recap:
|
|
|
|
|
Orientation Programs successfully welcomed over 8,400 new Boilermakers to West Lafayette and Indianapolis this past August. These initiatives were supported by our approximately 800 trained Team Leaders, Team Supervisors, and Student Orientation Committee. From move-in and check-in, to main sessions, to team times, and finally our Send-Off Ceremonies at the Madam Walker Legacy Center and Ross-Ade Stadium, our participants had a great start to their Purdue journeys.
This year also saw our inaugural Boiler Gold Rush International in Indianapolis, marking yet another milestone in expanding our office’s Purdue Welcome offerings. None of our successes this year would have been possible without the support of departmental, campus, community partners, and our student leaders. Thank you all!
To see more visuals of what happened this August, check out our BGR Highlight Video and our 2025 Photo Gallery.
Staff Introductions:
Professional Staff
|
|
|
|
|
Left to right: Jacque Rickett, Alison Webb, Craig Johnson, Adina Loomis, Virginia Johnson, Whitney Johnson, Hannah Keeler, Maggie Smith
Our team of eight is currently hiring to become a team of nine! To learn more about our open Program Coordinator position in West Lafayette or to learn more about our current professional staff team and their areas of expertise, visit our website.
2026 Student Orientation Committee
Meet our 2026 Student Orientation Committee! For the first time, our SOC consists of students from Indianapolis and West Lafyette. Our four committees work together to create a positive experience for our new students, Team Leaders, and Team Supervisors. This year, the Committee is led by our Chair, Luke Tucher, and includes four committees: Indianapolis, Orientation Initiatives, Retention, and Training & Development.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Back Row, left to right: Blake Bird, Owen Flynn, Oraefo Onwuta, GraceKlein, Eva Pinto
Front Row, left to right: Ava Smith, Rachel Benson, Luke Tucher, Ashlyn Barber, Bella Foley
Student Orientation Committee Chair: Luke Tucher
Indianapolis Committee: Grace Klein, Ava Smith
Orientation Initiatives Committee: Rachel Benson
Retention Committee: Ashlyn Barber, Bella Foley, Oraefo Onwuta
Training and Development Committee: Blake Bird, Owen Flynn, Eva Pinto
Student Leader Awards
|
|
|
|
|
At our 2025 Orientation Programs Banquet in October, we recognized our student leaders who went above and beyond throughout the year. Student Leaders nominated each other for a variety of awards. To see the full list of 2025 winners, visit our website.
Roger Sharritt Award: The Roger Sharritt Award is awarded to the most outstanding Team Supervisor of BGR who maintained the spirit of FreeZone and served as an exceptional mentor, inclusive leader, positive supporter, and embodiment of Purdue University and Orientation Programs. The Roger Sharritt Award is dedicated to the former manager of Cary Quadrangle who helped create the first CORN Camp at Purdue. This year's winners, featured at the top center of our award compilation photo, are Grace Klein (Indianapolis) and Andrew Causemaker (West Lafayette)!
The Kasi Jones Memorial Scholarship is awarded to Boiler Gold Rush student leaders who maintained a good attitude and energy while overcoming adversity and hardship during the week of BGR and BGRi. The Kasi Jones Memorial Scholarship is dedicated to the Director of Orientation Programs from 2008 to 2018 who passed away from colon cancer in 2018. Her positivity and optimism throughout her role and during her battle with cancer was infectious and she was loved by all who knew her. This year's winners, featured in the center of our award compilation photo, are Allyson Dinwiddlie, Andrew Boyd, Eva Pinto, Kendell Simpson, Andrew Causemaker, Christopher Yen, Nahyr Sehgal, Christy Baldwin, Ella Fennerty, and Shekinah Knox.
Purdue Day of Giving 2026
To help support the Kasi Jones Scholarship and other funds for students, save the date for Purdue's Day of Giving: April 29, 2026
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purdue University
Krach Leadership Center, 1198 Third Street
West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
The Student Center, 520 Indiana Ave,
Indianapolis, IN 46202,USA
|
|
|
|
|
|
