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First-year students at �������� wrapped up their semester with a dynamic “Shark Tank”-style presentation, pitching ideas to enhance student engagement in the City of Westfield. The event, held on Thursday, November 14, in the University Hall Multipurpose Room, was the culmination of the second annual “Discover Westfield—Your College Town” course, co-taught by Dr. Vanessa Diana, Professor of English, and Dr. Dristi Neog, Associate Professor in the Geography, Planning, and Sustainability Department.

During the first third of the semester, students had the chance to explore both the �������� campus and the wider Westfield community, including a class visit to the city’s downtown area. As they became more familiar with local businesses and organizations, students were then tasked with sharing weekly reflections on their discoveries, which served as a foundation for generating ideas and refining concepts that they would later present as part of their final pitches.

Inspired by the popular TV show Shark Tank, the event invited local community members, faculty, and staff to act as “sharks,” offering feedback and selecting the top pitches. There were ten pitches in total, with the sharks comparing notes about each pitch before selecting the top two. During a conclusive discussion, feedback was shared with students. Ideas presented were diverse in nature and ranged from blood drives, volunteer-based music concerts, movie nights, biweekly radio shows, and more. 

The course, initially offered by the Commonwealth’s Honors Program, is now part of ��������’s new general education curriculum, re-established as the Westfield’s Integrative Student Experience (WISE). It focuses on introducing first-year students to the local community through a multidisciplinary, high-impact experience, emphasizing WISE’s four pillars: �������� Journey; Analysis, Practice, and Inquiry; Exploring Complex Issues; and Perspectives.

“With classes like this, students become more confident when they feel they belong somewhere,” Dr. Neog commented. “Since they’re going to spend four years at Westfield, it makes sense that they know the community they’re based in. If they belong, they feel like they’re contributing and giving back, so it’s essential for them to do well so they can come back. If you do it early on in their first year, it’ll take them a long way and help them be responsible but also to know their own worth.”

Dr. Diana highlighted the significant role that fostering community connections plays in both student and alumni engagement, emphasizing the long-term benefits of creating interactive spaces. “We have a lot of alumni that work here at the University but who have stayed local and put their roots down in Westfield or the surrounding areas, so there’s that long-term investment too,” she added. “I’ve really appreciated with Dristi because we bring complementary academic backgrounds to this applied, problem-based course, with them thinking about community planning perspectives, getting input from the community around changes or new proposals, which is so much of the professional field Dristi is preparing them for, but then also having our students write for real audiences, which is a game-changer.”

Dr. Diana also underscored the transformative impact that innovative, community-focused writing can have, both in fostering meaningful connections and in preparing students for professional success. “The accountability and the fact that real leaders in the community care about what they have to say really motivated our students. I think community-based writing in general doesn’t feel like just an academic exercise for them. It teaches these students that they can use communication skills to make a real impact and try to affect change in their community. Whatever their majors, whatever their career path may be, we also want that for them as community members and citizens of our own.”

John Miarecki, Marketing Manager at �������� and a guest “shark,” praised the event for its rigorous and creative curriculum, remarking, “As a shark, it was inspiring to see these first-year students tackle such a challenging assignment and find their footing. Reflecting on my own college experience, I remember how critical it was to learn the skills of constructing a strong argument, presenting an idea persuasively, and backing it up with solid research and data. Exposing students to these opportunities early on will undoubtedly enhance their academic and professional growth.”

"As a result of this project, I was able to gain a profound knowledge of our downtown and campus community and find a bridging point to connect them in a desirable way," one student presenter remarked. "I was able to admire my college town as I was educated on its amenities and all the resources us students can take part in. This class allowed me to grow a relationship with my campus and city communities, giving me a sense of belonging even as a commuter."

Similar sentiments were shared among the class, with another student commenting, "I hope it can bring joy and spread happiness to the people being brought in from different areas of Westfield, so they can come together to connect with each other to create a friendly community."

"I think that as a result of this project the City of Westfield will get more students downtown and engaging with businesses," another student said. "I think that interacting with the "sharks" was very beneficial because we were able to hear new perspectives from those with different jobs and age ranges who would use this tool or not."

This semester students will also create a “College Survival Guide,” which will compile individual entries from each student into a comprehensive resource to help future students thrive at ��������. The guide is expected to cover a variety of topics, including strategies for utilizing campus services to support academic and emotional well-being, tips for avoiding burnout, building social connections, and exploring all that the campus has to offer.

“This assignment is not just a product, but a process as well,” Dr. Neog elaborated. “From the beginning of the semester, we’ve asked them to make reflection posts every week where they’re looking at the struggles they have and corresponding resources in the campus community, so we’ve been pointing them in directions of things that can be helpful to their particular situation. It’ll be great if they find that there is a platform for them to express and highlight, ‘Hey, I didn’t know this was here, but for future generations and cohorts, they don’t have to reinvent the wheel.’”

“We’re trying to give them choice,” Dr. Diana added. “This survival guide will also help them to brainstorm on what their struggles and strategies have been for this first semester as well as answer questions like, ‘What do you wish you’d known Week 1? What is one resource you’ve tapped into? What’s one way you made social connections? What is one thing you’re still struggling with?’ This might help students think about how to reset for next semester too.”