Kirsten Einhorn, assistant director of university events, said the festival demonstrates the depth and breadth of Quinnipiac’s academic, extracurricular and on-campus offerings. Einhorn co-organized the event with Karla Natale ’99, MS ’14, associate vice president for community partnerships and university events.

“We try to give them a little taste of everything that Quinnipiac has to offer and the opportunity to find things that they can connect with,” said Einhorn.

Einhorn and Natale were thrilled to report Boomer’s Harvest Festival drew 3,500 registrants this year.

“It’s really a perfect fall weekend to be on our beautiful campus, with such great views of all the leaves just starting to change on the Quad and at Sleeping Giant,” Einhorn said.

Among many alumni gathering at Boomer’s Harvest Festival were four Class of 2006 friends who made a special trip back to campus to mark 20 years since starting their Quinnipiac journey. Christine Simons, who first came to campus as an international student from Bermuda; Bethany Allen, a New Hampshire native; and New York natives Lauren Condron and Michele Cucinelli said Bobcat Weekend was a perfect opportunity to reconnect.

“It’s really nostalgic to be back on campus,” said Allen. “It’s just beautiful weather and a perfect weekend to be here. So much is the same, but so much has changed, too.”

As someone just starting out on her Quinnipiac journey, Emerson Chapin ’30 enjoyed showing her parents, Brian and Kelly Chapin, around campus. The Chapins arrived from Houston, Texas to visit with their first-year Bobcat.

“It’s really beautiful. We’re originally from the Northeast, so it’s nice to be back and see the fall colors,” said Kelly Chapin.

Among several festival displays, the Chapin family visited the Quinnipiac University Emergency Medical Services (QU EMS) table, where they spoke with QU EMS student volunteers about their training and involvement, which benefits those on campus as well as assisting in the greater Hamden community. It was a festival stop that hit close to home since Emerson’s father, Brian, is a physician.

“I think it’s a great club,” Brian said. “I saw it at Admitted Student Day when we came last fall and thought she might like to get involved.”

“I am thinking of joining, because I like to help people,” said Emerson.

Out to enjoy some festival fun, biology major Anne Gaudard ’30 did not hesitate to snap on latex gloves and join in the School of Nursing’s hands-on demonstration about the workings of the human lung.

“I just think this is really cool,” Gaudard said. “I actually want to do research as a student, and I’m looking to contact a couple of professors about that.”

Bobcat couple Dan Sparks ’98 and Amy Sparks ’98 met as Quinnipiac undergraduate students. As a legacy family, they’re now enjoying watching their daughter, Maya Sparks ’30, experience college life as a Bobcat.

“We met as first-year residents of The Commons, and now we’re living vicariously through her,” said Dan, laughing. “We only live two miles from campus, but we can’t get here enough. We love it here.”

The Sparks took a spin at the Quinnipiac trivia wheel and collaborated to successfully name several presidents over the university’s nearly 100-year history.

Just a few steps away, mechanical engineering majors and Quinnipiac Electric Boat Team senior design members Conner Kass ’27 and Zachary Chapman ’27, MBA ’28, gathered quite a crowd at the team’s display of a full-scale one-man (“man-one”) electric boat. The club is a component of Quinnipiac’s School of Computing & Engineering.

“People are stopping quite a bit. They’re interested in what we’re doing,” said Kass.

Founded last year, the student engineering team designs, builds and competitively races electric and solar-powered boats at the university level. In the spring of 2026, Quinnipiac’s remote-control design took home third place at the 2026 Promoting Electric Propulsion Electric Boat Competition in Portsmouth Park, Virginia.

“We’re moving up this year to include a man-one design, and we’ll also have our remote-control, which has probably doubled in size from last year,” said Chapman.

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Cameron LaMack, faculty adviser of the 15-person electric boat team, said sharing this type of student work helps to demonstrate the level of innovation and passion that defines the School of Computing & Engineering.

“People who choose engineering want to be doing things, and this is a fantastic outlet for that — but more than anything, it’s really a way to contextualize everything they’re learning in the classroom,” said LaMack. “In engineering education, one of the primary things we’re teaching you is learning how to learn. This is a way of getting hands-on skills that are even more applicable for a job where you have to learn new things.”  

Traveling in from the vicinity of Albany, New York, mom Lisa Destaso-Jones said Bobcat Weekend was all about embracing the Quinnipiac college experience with her daughter, Liliana Jones ’30. The night before, they helped cheer on Bobcat men’s ice hockey to the first of two weekend wins at the M&T Bank Arena.

Taking a break to paint pumpkins at a festival table, Liliana said she was enjoying the chance to share the Mount Carmel Campus with her mom.

“It’s nice because I get to show her my daily routine,” said Liliana.

“I feel like she’s so fortunate to be here,” her mom added. “Any chance I can spend a minute with her on this gorgeous campus, I will. It’s stunning.”

As another great way to get involved with the Quinnipiac community, Destaso-Jones signed up to join the Parent Advisory Board while attending Bobcat Weekend. Led by Chief Experience Officer Tom Ellett, the board meets monthly via Zoom to discuss the university’s student experience.

Ellett said a great event like Boomer’s Harvest Festival gives parents a valuable window into their students’ daily lives at Quinnipiac.

“What’s so important is that the family gets to experience what the students do on this gorgeous campus. On this beautiful fall day, when the leaves are changing colors, they get to see the place where students make friends, find potential lifetime partners and certainly lasting best friends,” Ellett said. 

In Focus