Better, Bolder, and Spartan Strong: New Spartan Days Helps Students Step Into Their Future at YCP

York College of Pennsylvania's revamped New Spartan Days orientation program drew more than 800 students and family members this June, featuring enhanced programming designed to better prepare incoming Spartans for their college journey.

The summer heat didn’t stop Genalyn Mason from smiling. As she walked the York College campus during New Spartan Days — the College’s orientation program for incoming students — she had already decided she’d found the place she was meant to be.

“The atmosphere when I first came here...the way people initiated conversations with everybody. It just felt like the place for me,” said Genalyn, an incoming first-year student from Oxford, Pa.

Genalyn plans to major in Psychology and minor in Criminology and Criminal Justice, with aspirations to become a forensic psychologist. But even bigger than her career goals is her desire to make a difference.

“Overall, I just want to help people,” she said. “The dream in life is to be successful. I just want to take it one day at a time.”

At New Spartan Days, she hoped to start that journey by forming connections with future classmates and gaining insight into life at YCP. “I hope to gain some relationships, get to know some of the people I’m going to be around, just get more insight into the College and what I’m going to be doing on a day-to-day basis.”

Her mother, Tonya Mason, watched proudly as her daughter embraced the experience.

“For me, it came down to scholarships and things like that,” Mason said. “And that they offer her one-on-one training before going into her career. She’s going to be working with people who are already in the field she wants to be in.”

Mason was also impressed with the personal touch of the York College experience. “York College was persistent as well. Faculty and staff communicated. They showed that they were going to be there for her, and this is a safe environment,” she said.

Genalyn was among the more than 800 students and family members who attended New Spartan Days this June, which consisted of four days of programming. 

This year, orientation staff adjusted the format in response to student and family feedback. Days began later in the morning and were shorter overall, allowing for more focused academic sessions and flexible time for families to choose what was most helpful. Organizers also added more advisors to help streamline class registration.

Tamah Amrom, York College Director of Student Activities and Orientation, was thrilled with how the week unfolded.

“Seeing happy faces at the end of the day is the best!” Amrom said. “We've had many families and students tell us on their way out in the afternoon that they can't wait to come back for fall and really feel that they made the right decision here at YCP.”

She credited much of the week’s success to the Spartan Staff, a group of student leaders who supported incoming students throughout the experience. “They powered the engine of energy through the whole week! Inside the classrooms with the new students or out in the sun, they were always smiling and ready to help,” she said.

Amrom noted a growing trend among this year’s incoming class: many had completed part or all of high school online. Still, she said, their eagerness to begin their college journeys was unmistakable. “They are all very eager to jump into what we have planned for them in the fall.”

One of those eager students was Braeden Smith, a Criminology and Criminal Justice major from York, who hopes to become a police officer and eventually a detective. “I’ve been into criminal justice since I was a little kid,” he said.

Braeden’s mother, Kimberly Smith, beamed as she talked about continuing a family legacy — Braeden is the latest of several family members, including his grandfather, to attend York College.

“We love York College,” she said. “We looked around at a few different programs, and it was clear York College was the best for what he wants to do.”

For Braeden, Genalyn, and around 800 other incoming Spartans, New Spartan Days was a first step toward the future. 

Genalyn’s mother hopes for her daughter's independence, happiness, and continued growth. “I hope for her to be better than me, and she’s already on her way to doing that,” she said. “Four years from now, I hope to be sitting in the stands screaming her name as she walks across the stage with that cap and gown, saying that she did it!”