Harding University’s admissions team will be attending Winterfest on Feb. 15-17 and the Challenge Youth Conference on Feb. 22-24 in Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Winterfest started 28 years ago and is a weekend retreat mainly for those in grades 6-12. Winterfest takes place in Arlington, Texas the third week in January, then again in Gatlinburg, Tenn., the third week in February.
Admission counselors Scott Hannigan, Tracy Kee, Nate Ramirez and Morris Seawel, along with five student workers in admissions, will be representing Harding at Winterfest. Hannigan, who covers the Tennessee territory and is new to the admissions team, will be attending Winterfest for the first time this year.
“Not going before, I will be interested to see what the dynamic is like,” Hannigan said. “But it is really just about making sure that those kids coming from all over that area know about Harding and are well informed about Harding and what a great experience they could have here.”
The Challenge Youth Conference (CYC) is a weekend conference that started in 2000 with a purpose to maintain a positive program, which empowers teenagers in middle and high school with sound teachings and challenges and encourages them to live lives for Christ.
Marcus Thomas, Stacey Vaughn, Jason White and two student workers will be the admissions team representing Harding at CYC.
After attending Winterfest for six years, Thomas looks forward to attending CYC for his second year in a row.
“My main goal for these events is getting the Harding name out there to students who maybe have never heard of it,” Thomas said. “Winterfest and CYC are so different in that you have the traditional vs. non-traditional youth rally, so you have a lot of students at CYC who are very excited to see Harding represented..”
Many Christian universities attend Winterfest and CYC to promote their academic and sports programs, so Harding must be equipped to showcase all of its programs. Thomas said other schools have a hard time competing with what Harding has to offer.
“Some (schools) really don’t like to see us there because they know for everything they offer, we can offer (it) at a good price,” said Thomas. “We are a better value than many schools out there.”
During CYC weekend, Harding will host a luncheon for the first time at Mellow Mushroom restaurant in Gatlinburg, Tenn., to cater toward juniors and seniors in high school and their parents who are considering Harding.
