Inside PNWU’s 2024 Finals Breakfast
On Monday, May 13, a cluster of chef hats and cooking aprons mixed into Butler-Haney Hall’s swirling sea of scrubs and white coats. As the tantalizing smell of bacon wafted through the early-morning halls, a celebrated and longstanding campus tradition was just heating up.
Welcome to PNWU Finals Breakfast.
Originally inspired by the PNWU Office of Academic Support, the annual event has become a staple on campus. Sponsored by the Dean’s office since 2014, the breakfast aims to offer more than just a healthy meal to students set to take final exams.
“The finals breakfast is definitely a highlight of the academic year for me,” said Dr. Emily Oestreich, Associate Dean of Preclinical Education and Associate Professor of Physiology, who gleefully tonged bacon onto the plates of her students. “Finals week can be a stressful time for our students, but I think seeing faculty and administrators in chef’s hats, flipping pancakes, scrambling eggs, and acting generally goofy, eases some of that anxiety and provides students with some much-needed fun and food before heading into their exams.”
Falling perfectly in-line with her own smile-inducing aspirations, Dr. Oestreich multitasked throughout the breakfast, trading “bacon vs. oatmeal” jabs with fellow “line cook” Dr. Russell Maier, Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education, who ladled steaming scoops of porridgenearby,in playful opposition of her crowd-pleasing pork salesmanship.
“Rarely do I get to see so many students one-on-one, even for a brief interaction,” said Dr. Maier. “It reminds me of the diversity of our students – in food habits, age range, formal/relaxed dress, etc. – and of the noteworthy professionalism and politeness they all practice.”
“It is a total delight to see our students enjoying a hot, freshly cooked breakfast at the start of their final exams,” said Dr. Kimberly Taylor, Chief of Microbiology. Described as “the originator” of the now-decade old annual event, Dr. Taylor has long celebrated the connection that participants feel in preparing and sharing a meal together. “It’s a reminder that we are all in this together, so let’s be together,” she said.
“This breakfast is something we all look forward to doing every year,” added Vicky Koch, executive assistant to the dean, who has helped to lead the event since its inception.
“This emphasizes the culture of caring and family that we so value at PNWU,” Dr. Oestreich said, expressing “a huge thank you” to Vicky Koch and all the staff who make the annual event possible. She then added one final note: “Team bacon!”
