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On September 19, 2020, the University of New 51¶ºÄÌ celebrates an enormous milestone in our Centennial year by officially unveiling the Charger statue. It was conceived by students to serve as a symbol of the power, resilience, and the enduring strength of the University community.

The Charger statue is located right next to the David A. Beckerman Recreation Center, and the space serves as a gathering area for the Charger community. We look forward to hosting many alumni events here in the future.

In one of my many on-campus positions, I work as a Charger ambassador, providing tours to prospective students and their families. One of my new favorite places to highlight on my tour is the Charger statue. It ignites a sense of community in not just our current students but our potential future Chargers as well.

I have recently taken the opportunity to work with the Office of Advancement as one of the communications media interns. This position has given me the unique opportunity to work alongside University staff and my fellow peers. I am grateful to work with Marya Neary, the campaign director for the Office of Advancement, and Hannah Providence ’22, the other communications media intern who I’ve worked alongside since the beginning of the semester. Hannah and I will be working on many projects to highlight important milestones for students and alumni as we continue the University’s Centennial celebration.

One of the goals of our internship is to embody what the Charger statue stands for – strength, resilience, and power – through our communications initiatives. This month, the University is celebrating a tremendous milestone in our history: 100 years of classes.

As a way of officially unveiling and celebrating this momentous occasion, I am reaching out to you, the Charger community. Let’s celebrate 100 years of classes in a fun way. I’m personally asking all students, faculty, and staff to take a picture with the new Charger Statue before or on September 19 and post it on social media with the hashtag #100YearsofClasses. Alumni and friends of the University can show their support by sharing their favorite photo from their time on campus.

We would like to celebrate this significant landmark by flooding social media (Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok) with pictures. Make sure you follow COVID-19 guidelines when taking your pictures and that you are mindful of physical distancing protocols. We look forward to seeing your beautiful photos of you and the Charger statue with the hashtag #100YearsofClasses on September 19. Don’t forget, whoever comes up with the best caption will win a small prize.

Christopher Fogarty ’21 is a criminal justice major at the University of New 51¶ºÄÌ.