Local students joined the Boilermaker community by participating in the annual Boiler Gold Rush program at Purdue University's West Lafayette campus.

The participants included:

Alex Bockman of Kildeer, IL

Austin Scheu of Long Grove, IL

Charles Filson of Lake Zurich, IL

David Lavanne of Lake Zurich, IL

Emily Ekl of Lake Zurich, IL

Joseph Koncel of Lake Zurich, IL

Katherine Pepping of Long Grove, IL

Marc Bondi of Lake Zurich, IL

Scott Irving of Long Grove, IL

S. Mantzoros of Long Grove, IL

Victoria Yao of Long Grove, IL

The mission of Boiler Gold Rush is to orient new students and their families during their transition to Purdue by creating a fun and stimulating environment, providing access to opportunities on Purdue's campus and in the Lafayette/West Lafayette community, and by offering meaningful activities and leadership opportunities to encourage student success.

Purdue University is a vast laboratory for discovery. The university is known not only for science, technology,engineering and math programs, but also for imagination, ingenuity and innovation. It's a place for those who seek a first-class education balanced by the drive to make their ideas real.