Amid midterm season, Costello students took a well-deserved break at the Costello Midterm Success Celebration—an event designed to offer relaxation, resources, and, most of all, fun. Hosted by the Costello College of Business at George Mason University, the celebration was held on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 22, at Corner Pocket on the Fairfax Campus.
Students gathered at Corner Pocket on the George Mason University Fairfax Campus. Photo by Jason King, director of undergraduate academic services at Costello.
Now in its third semester, the event has grown significantly in popularity. Thanks to word of mouth and enthusiastic student feedback, this semester’s celebration drew more attendees than the first two combined. Of the 210 students who participated, 159 were from the Costello College of Business.
Upon arrival, students were welcomed by a variety of games—including Dance Dance Revolution, skee-ball, and more than a dozen others—offering a perfect way to unwind. A major highlight was the Chick-fil-A catering, which proved to be a crowd favorite. In addition to food and games, students had the opportunity to visit resource tables hosted by campus partners, offering information on tutoring, academic advising, the Impact Fellows program, and more.
“The purpose of this event was to connect our students to timely resources to support their success in the second half of the term and to provide them an opportunity to celebrate their successes so far this semester,” says Jason King, director of undergraduate academic services at Costello.
Staff members from Costello’s Office of Student Success and Academic Services (OSSAS) were on hand to answer questions and ensure the event ran smoothly. “Our peer academic advisors also supported this event and were indispensable in helping us triage several last-minute issues,” says King.
Among the four peer academic advisors onsite were Samantha Whetzler and Empress Campbell. "The event provided me with opportunities to connect one-on-one with an academic advisor to discuss registering for my last semester of courses and also addressed tutoring services available to me,” says Whetzler, who is studying finance and business analytics. “I thought it was an engaging experience because everyone had access to playing games in the Corner Pocket to decompress during midterms. I also got to meet some new friends in my same concentration and see some old friends throughout the event."
“I thought the event was great and a fun way to network with fellow students while learning about our minors and concentrations,” said Campbell, who is studying business analytics. “Learning services’ presence was also very impactful as many students aren’t even aware of that resource. The Chick-fil-A was delicious, and the games gave me a chance to get to know other students and have a little breather before exams.”
“I thought the event was great and a fun way to network with fellow students while learning about our minors and concentrations,” said Campbell, who is studying business analytics. “Learning services’ presence was also very impactful as many students aren’t even aware of that resource. The Chick-fil-A was delicious, and the games gave me a chance to get to know other students and have a little breather before exams.”
— Empress Campbell, current Business Analytics student and peer academic advisor at the Costello College of Business at George Mason University
The Costello Midterm Success Celebration is one of several events hosted by OSSAS to foster student success and build a vibrant campus culture. Alongside WelcomeFest, Donut Forget to Register, and Leap Into Your Concentration, it reflects Costello’s commitment to supporting students both academically and socially. Students can check out the Buzz Blog every Monday for upcoming opportunities.