On Tuesday, April 22, Cougar Climb: The First Year Experience, hosted the Cougar Climb Completion Celebration in the Miron Student Center (MSC) Greek Lounge from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This celebration is held to recognize the achievements and hard work of first-year students.
Cougar Climb is a program intended for first-year students to encourage them to get involved and discover the resources and organizations available. Students who participate must complete 6 badges which are Academic Engagement, Career Development, Civic Engagement, Global & Cultural Awareness, Health & Wellness, and Social Engagement.
At the celebration, there was a variety of sandwiches, pastries, wraps, and bagels for students to eat. Each student earned a certificate and bag filled with Kean Cougar Climb merch. In addition, all students who completed the program were entered into a drawing to win an iPad Pro.
Anastasia Grubyak, a Cellular Molecular Bio major and freshman from Jersey City, shared her excitement about the chance to win an Apple product and what she had to do to reach this point.
“I completed the Cougar Climb and now I am celebrating because I want the iPad Pro and the Apple pencil because mine broke down. I love the event, the food is great, the music is great. I have my friends and we’re just chatting it up. I like being here,” shared Grubyak.
“I had to complete six badges for Cougar Climb...You just had to go around campus and talk to different offices, do the Career Fair, Major-Minor Fair, and just be actively involved on campus. It's great for a freshman.”
The Student Life Media Team’s (SLMT) very own videographer, Christoly Georges, a Physical Education and Health major, and freshman from Orange, shared his experience in the program.
“When I first got here, I already planned to know everyone and everything here on campus, so I said why not just do it. Everywhere I went on campus, I saw QR codes about Cougar Climb, so I scanned it and did all the things they asked me to. I liked it. I completed everything and it’s nice seeing a lot of hundreds on my path, so it was lovely,” expressed Georges.
“I’ve learned about more places and more opportunities. That’s how I even got to learn about Cougar’s Byte through Cougar Climb and Connections.”
There was a considerable number of participants for the Fall 2024/Spring 2025 school year compared to the previous year. The Fall 2023/Spring 2024 school year had 1,881 participants with only 4 students completing the program and 78 badges earned. For the Fall 2024/Spring 2025 academic year, there were 3,224 participants with 21 participants completing all 6 badges and 460 badges earned.
The overall response was positive with many students engaging in the program. The Cougar Climb initiative is designed to help first-year students become familiar with the organizations and resources on campus. Many students enjoyed the journey and walked away confidently knowing more about their university.
