Every college student has experienced some of the struggles of being a freshman. The orientation team helps ease that transition, and several freshmen and team members shared their thoughts on the team’s impact this fall. 

Claire Perez, a freshman elementary and special education major, said the orientation team was “really enthusiastic and energetic, and it made me see the University as such a happy place to be. When I would personally talk with each of the team members, they were so considerate and paid attention to everything I was telling them. It was really heartwarming to be around that many people who genuinely wanted to welcome me here.”  

Sophomore elementary education major Grace Betit, who served on orientation team, said, “Everyone was a lost little freshman at one point, so it’s nice to make people feel at home. My small group leader during orientation is still one of my good friends, and she was the coordinator of the household I’m in now, so you make those connections early. It’s so good to come back and serve.”  

“The orientation team was great! They had great energy and really helped make it an easier transition into college,” said Noah Kravetsky, a freshman secondary education and history major.  

Evelyn Hilgeman, a senior theology major and member of the orientation core team, explained that “what made my own freshman orientation impactful was the authentic joy radiating from the Franciscan students I encountered around campus. This year, as a senior serving as a student head for orientation, my hope has been to pass on that same Christ-centered joy.”  

She continued, that “whether by meaningful conversations, passing smiles, or shared moments of laughter, I pray that our orientation team reflected the abundant joy that comes from Christ, and that this year’s freshman class felt this just as I once did.”