Homecoming week kicked off Monday at the Lighting of the B – an annual tradition outside Bradley Hall featuring fireworks, performances and a mad-dash to get free T-shirts.
The scarlet “B” will remain lit atop Bradley Hall throughout Family Weekend, which is combined with homecoming week this year.
While parents and siblings visit the Hilltop over the next few days, many students are feeling a similar familial bond with their fellow Braves this week.
“My freshman year, people were like, ‘Oh. Homecoming,’” Olivia Schoenfeldt, a junior marketing major, said. “But everyone’s a lot more involved in this homecoming. Everyone’s more excited.”
Schoenfeldt transferred from Bradley to a different university after her freshman year, and she said homecoming has taken a new meaning this year after she transferred back to Bradley.
“The Lighting of the B … that’s really meaningful,” Schoenfeldt said. “Homecoming is actually a part of you now. It’s something you can go to every year; it’s a part of going to school here. That’s something really special.”
Senior marketing major Mitch Taylor said when he realized he only has one year left at Bradley, he wanted to make the most of this homecoming week.
“I didn’t actively participate in homecoming my first three years, but now that, it’s like, I’m on my way out, this is something we can all take advantage of,” Taylor said.
But this year, Taylor was committed to making this the best homecoming yet.
“We’ll all be connected for future years, so I’m just really excited to be a part of it right now because my [days here] are numbered,” Taylor said.
