It’s no secret at Villanova that Special Olympics Fall Fest is a big deal on campus. Villanova University is the official host of the Special Olympics Pennsylvania state games in the fall. A once familiar campus turns into an Olympic village nearly overnight and hosts competitions for teams coming from counties all over Pennsylvania for a three-day weekend, usually falling in October or early November.
Every year, the number of athletes totals more than 1,000, with 400 coaches and more than 5,000 student and adult volunteers. Athletes participating in Fall Fest can compete in six different Olympic sports, which include powerlifting, flag football, bocce, long-distance running and walking, soccer and volleyball.
But, who pulls off this impressive feat? Fall Fest at Villanova is the largest student-run Special Olympics event in the world, and the unsung heroes of the operation comprise Villanova University’s Special Olympics Committee. These 106 devoted students pour their hard work into year-round planning, organizing, managing and budgeting so that Fall Fest is the wonderful and inclusive space everyone knows it to be.
Senior Catherine Browne, studying public relations and advertising along with business and real estate, held the position of Festival Director this year. She oversaw all work for Fall Fest, which includes serving as a leader of Committee. Committee is broken up into multiple different positions, such as the Entertainment Committee, Inclusion Crew Committee and many more.
In order to fulfill this role, a rigorous application process and strong academic record along with Committee experience is needed. Browne beautifully fulfilled all these requirements and brought along a unique passion for the games.
She was asked why she wanted to get involved in Special Olympics.
“I started volunteering at the age of 14, alongside my family, helping out with the volleyball games,” Browne said. “When I was a freshman, I knew I wanted to continue my participation. I got involved as a local program host and fell in love with the organization. I found a family in a safe space here and have experienced significant personal growth through this. The fact that Fall Fest is on campus adds incredible camaraderie to the environment. We all bond over our love of competition and emulate in a tight knit community. It’s amazing to be able to use the resources on campus and get everyone involved because there can be up to 8,000 or 9,000 people on campus for the weekend.”
Additionally, senior Colin Nemeth, studying neuroscience, held the role of Chair of Ceremonies. This includes hosting about 1,800 people in the Finneran Pavilion on the Friday of Fall Fest. A new aspect of this section of Committee this year is the closing celebration. This is a lighthearted and fun event that is broken up into two separate times instead of a formal closing ceremony such as in the past.
“I had some involvement in high school, but I got involved because of the student atmosphere to begin with,” Nemeth said when asked why he joined Special Olympics. “It later became such a strong part of my time here and defined much of my Villanova experience. So much so that I am currently finding more ways to stick with it post grad. There are students so dedicated to the cause, but even the average student has many opportunities to join months in advance, or even the day of. It is really cool to see how the campus transforms into a decorative event, but also, an opportunity for all students to get out there.”
Another member of Committee, junior Natalia Rodal Fernandez, studying environmental science, served as the Entertainment Chair.
“I initially started in the local program host and didn’t really know what my role would be until the weekend of but after my first Fall Fest and experienced an incredible education on support and inclusion,” Rodal Fernadez said when asked why he joined Special Olympics. “The thing that is so special about this weekend is the change of perspective that it can offer so many. Villanova demonstrates what the world could and should be like if we all chose to be caring, kind and inclusive.”
This weekend provided not only a physical transformation of Villanova, but also a very emotionally-moving experience for the student body and athletes alike. The Villanova Special Olympics Committee worked tirelessly year-round to put on an unforgettable weekend where love, kindness and inclusion thrived
