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:

Adi Ben Yehoshua, of Huntington; Anndee Hinesley, of Huntington, Austin Shaw, of Warren; Jessica Baker, of Huntington; Cory Mygrant, of Huntington; Elizabeth Blinn, of Warren; and Erin Hipskind, of Roanoke.

And, Emily Koons, of Huntington; Julia Helling-er, of Roanoke; Jericho Parrett, of Huntington; Amanda Kaiser, of Roanoke; Andrew Mason, of Huntington; and Mitch-ell Corbat, of Markle.

And, Melinda Miller, of Roanoke; Christine Peters, of Roanoke; Luke Smith, of Huntington; Sadie Herr, of Warren; Andrew Stumpf, of Roanoke; Lauren Taylor, of Roanoke; and Brandon Taylor, of Markle.

And, Tyler Blocker, of Huntington; Trevor Edris, of Huntington; and Kaitlyn Winters, of Huntington.

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.