Months full of preparation, advertising and anticipation finally culminated on Thursday, Oct. 13 with “The College Tour” Screening Event, celebrating the release of Ramapo College’s episode of the TV show with trivia, prizes, snacks and sneak preview clips.
The event, co-sponsored by the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Office of Marketing and Communications, started by immediately playing the introduction of the episode, complete with aerial views of campus, slow-motion classroom shots and sound bites from host Alex Boylan.
“How awesome was that intro?” Christopher Romano, vice president for strategic enrollment, outreach and engagement, asked the crowd as he opened the event. “That intro is now being streamed on multiple channels around the world introducing Ramapo College to people who otherwise would’ve never known anything about Ramapo College.”
This “national marketing piece” features 10 students from varying majors, graduation years and backgrounds to exemplify the best parts of Ramapo. From the beautiful campus location to the benefits of a liberal arts education to the top-rated campus dorms, no stone was left unturned in this episode advertising the draws and benefits of attending Ramapo College.
“It’s time for the world to know what all of us already know: that Ramapo is an amazing place to study, to live, to compete, to work, to play, to be part of,” said Romano.
Hosted by members of SGA, the event was split into three parts that showed three or four of the featured students’ segments followed by live Q&As, where the students further discussed their lives at Ramapo and behind-the-scenes filming experiences. The Q&As revealed how much they adore Ramapo and made clear why they were selected to represent the school.
“One opportunity that I had for ‘The College Tour’ was to invite some professors of mine to be a part of my segment… Out of all the professors I was able to invite, the people that were able to come were my accounting professor and my Japanese professor,” shared Maya Peacock, a junior mathematics major. “Their interaction kind of represented the diverse opportunity I get here at Ramapo… I feel like that kind of opportunity enables students to be the best student they can be, and perhaps the best person they can be.”
Kaitlin Balasaygun, a senior journalism and photography double major, shared a similar sentiment regarding a research trip she took with one of her professors last fall to photograph and report on the California wildfires.
“I would have never been to do that if it hadn’t been for Ramapo and for the connection that you’re able to build with your professors here. I think that’s so important and makes Ramapo such a great place to pursue an education that will go beyond your years here,” she said.
Each part of the event was broken up by trivia questions about Ramapo that audience members could answer to win prizes, such as coffee tumblers and drawstring bags.
The audience was enthusiastic for the duration of the event, raising their hands excitedly for the trivia questions and clapping constantly to support the featured students. From their reactions, it was obvious that the audience consisted of people who care deeply about Ramapo, whether it be students, faculty, staff or administration.
The event ended with President Cindy Jebb taking the stage to thank Romano, the SGA and most importantly, the featured students for a wonderful evening.
“It’s clear what makes Ramapo great, and it’s our students,” she said.
She invited the students onstage with her to gift them each a Presidential Coin. Romano later explained the meaning: “In the military, there’s a tradition where coins represent excellence, so President Jebb has recognized you for excellence.”
Ramapo College’s episode of “The College Tour” will be released on Nov. 2 as part of the show’s fifth season on Amazon Prime. In the meantime, the episode is accessible from Ramapo College’s website.
rgatherc@ramapo.edu
Photo courtesy of Melissa Horvath.
