Pioneer Experience Welcomes First-Year Students into the Herd Friday, September 4, 2026
The lip sync battle was a favorite activity among first-year students.
Point Park University welcomed its first-year students with four days of activities that ranged from informative to meaningful to silly. Trips on the Monongahela Incline to the top of Mt. Washington, service projects picking up trash around Downtown, and information sessions with campus offices all helped this fresh class of students get familiar with their new campus and city.
Organized by upperclassmen known as Pioneer Ambassadors, Pioneer Experience took new students to explore places Downtown and gave them fun challenges to compete in, such as the Lip Sync Battle and games at Point State Park, known as the Battle of the Boulevard.
Savannah Ikach, graduate assistant and orientation coordinator, oversaw the Pioneer Ambassador Coordinator team and spearheaded the planning.
"My main goal when planning Pioneer Experience is to get students engaged in learning about the tools to succeed at Point Park and college in general," Ikach said. "I also like to create a welcoming environment because the first week at school can be daunting! I like to think of the events we have at Pioneer Experience as educational but also something to help shake off nerves and remind everyone that they are all in the same boat and have people to support them."
Among the events, the Lip Sync Battle, held in the PNC Theatre of the Pittsburgh Playhouse, was clearly a favorite activity of many of the first-year students.
Lauren Guzman, a dance major with a concentration in ballet, said, "I know, particularly for my team, we were able to bond so much more, and it was so fun to just get to be silly up on the stage with everyone cheering."
Alayna Male, a photography major, loved the energy in the room: "Everyone was cheering each other on and having fun, even if we weren't performing."
For Silas Blocker, a musical theatre major, even though he loved the lip sync battle, he acknowledged that he built real friendships in the downtime between activities.
"Though all the large events were fun, the best experience for me honestly was the small conversations, bonding with fellow freshmen and learning about what the point of Point Park really is," Blocker said. "Pioneer Experience gave me a network of people outside of my major to see on the street, say hi to, or even invite over for a party! I also met many upperclassmen who have been helping me during day-to-day experiences."
Meeting people outside of your major was a common theme among first-year students who shared their experiences. Many valued the chance to get to know students from other majors who they might not have met without orientation.
Brandon Yeager, an acting major, said, "Pioneer Experience showed me more than just the Conservatory of Performing Arts people. It was really nice to learn some new people's stories."
For Giulio Baldoni, an exploratory major, Point Park was both new and familiar to him. His sister Amedea Baldoni graduated in 2019 with degrees in both legal studies and political science, and Giulio just happened to be assigned to his sister's dorm room in Thayer Hall.
At first, Baldoni, who, as the youngest in a large family, is used to hand-me-downs, felt a little annoyed. "But after my family said their goodbyes and I was alone, I felt the familiarity and I didn't feel as scared leaving home."
Baldoni settled in even more as he went through Pioneer Experience. "I'm a fairly social guy, but in a new place, I felt stressed and nervous, worried about what others would think of me. But once I started going to the orientation events, I was able to meet a bunch of people who were just as nervous as I was. After that, I started going to these events more and became friends with our lovely PAs who helped me feel more welcomed and accepted overall."
Landry McCullough, a Sports, Arts, Entertainment and Music Business major, said that Pioneer Experience not only connected new students to each other, but it also helped them know campus better. "Orientation effectively familiarized us with the campus, as we were meeting in different buildings for specific reasons, as opposed to a typical, fast-paced campus tour."
Overall, Ikach felt this year's Pioneer Experience was a success.
"A highlight for me has been watching both my team step into their roles and then new students really warming up to campus and meeting new friends," Ikach said. "We do so much to prepare for orientation and then once it starts, it gets passed off to the students, and we get to see what they make of it. It was quite lovely to watch people come out of their shell at the lip sync battle and various other events. I was very happy to see that students loved PE as much as I did."
"This year made me very excited for next year's Pioneer Experience. We will be taking applications for our team now until March 15!" Current students who wish to apply to be a Pioneer Ambassador or Bison Support Leader next year can access forms on The Herd.
