For some students, heading off to college and being completely on their own for the first time can be a daunting process.
Thanks to the Home Plate program, some University students are enjoying a little bit of home away from home.
Home Plate, started by Risa Zwerling Wrighton, wife of Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton, aims to enhance students’ experiences by connecting them with host families from the University community and surrounding areas for home-cooked meals and outings around St. Louis.
“Many students greatly enjoy their experience at the University,” Zwerling Wrighton said. “But I think this program has the potential to help them love it here. It makes a big difference in softening the adjustment process for freshmen.”
Freshman Amarantha Quintana-Morales experienced her first Home Plate dinner this semester and had a great time.
“The family I ate with was very nice and they made me feel comfortable in their home,” she said. “It was great that they were an architect and a historian because those are two things I am interested in, and we had a lot to talk about.
“The dinner was excellent, and it was wonderful to get off campus for an evening.”
Zwerling Wrighton started Home Plate three years ago to help students find a family environment and provide them with the little touches of home they often miss while they are away at school.
A personal experience inspired Zwerling Wrighton to initiate the program.
“During my daughter’s freshman year of college, she learned to deal with many adjustments, including homesickness,” Zwerling Wrighton said. “I was so happy when a professor invited her over for dinner.
“That small gesture made a big difference in her life, and I decided to start a program at the University to assist freshmen in their adjustment to university life by bringing them some flavor of home.”
The program has continued to increase in popularity on the strength of glowing reviews from students and host families. Zwerling Wrighton has even expanded it to include upperclassmen.
“We have placed approximately 60 students with about 30 families this year alone, and there are students from previous years still enjoying time with their host families,” she said. “We have more interested families looking to host students. Families love the opportunity to engage in the life of the University, and students always appreciate a good home-cooked meal.
“I think it is good for students to get off campus and make some connection to St. Louis so the city becomes more of a home in addition to the University,” she added.
Aly Abrams, associate director of development for the schools of Art and Architecture, and her husband hosted three students for a dinner in October.
“It went great,” she said. “The students were sweet and very polite. We had some nice discussions about the debate and the political process.
“It was such a lovely evening that we decided to have dinner on the back porch. They were very appreciative of the dinner and loved the food. We look forward to hosting more students in the future.”
A guideline sheet and application to the Home Plate program are available online at www.wustl.edu/students/undergrad/homeplate.html.
For more information on the program, call 935-8350 or e-mail rzzwerling@magellanhealth.com.