Calumet College of St. Joseph (CCSJ) officially welcomed its incoming freshmen and transfer students at its annual Orientation Day on Thursday. The college’s newest scholars had the opportunity to meet faculty and staff, interact with fellow students, and enjoy food and fun throughout the day.
“We have orientation to give our new students a sense of who CCSJ is and what we hope for their future here,” said Linda Gajewski, Director of Communications and Public Relations for CCSJ. “It gives them an overall view of their major, allows them to meet their instructors, and engage with other students before the year kicks off.”
“This is my third orientation as president, and it’s been quite a big day,” added CCSJ President Amy McCormack. “We have about 200 students here today, the biggest group of newcomers we’ve had, so that makes me very excited for the year to come.”
It seemed that the school’s largest incoming class was also the most energetic, their excitement evident in their lively attitudes and smiling faces.
“They really have a lot of good, positive energy, and that’s very uplifting to see,” McCormack continued. “They’ve come from all over to join the CCSJ family, and represent many cities, states and countries. It’s exciting to be able to figure out who they all are, where they came from, and what they’re interested in accomplishing here at CCSJ.”
Orientation began bright and early at 8:00 a.m. and ran through 3:30 p.m., giving students a taste of what a full day on campus is like. For freshman Daysha Holloway and Reyna Sotelo, the benefits of the day were well worth the time spent.
“It was a long day, but we learned a lot, and I feel a lot more comfortable and excited about the first day now,” Holloway said. “I’m really looking forward to starting my college journey here next week.”
Fellow freshman Zoie Ison shared the same sentiment and was grateful for the opportunity to become better affiliated with college life before the official start of classes. Especially helpful was the student panel, where current CCSJ students could assist with any questions or concerns the orientation groups had, and all-day access to the abundantly knowledgeable CCSJ professors and staff.
“I got the answers to a lot of things I had questions about,” Ison said. “The students and staff shared a lot of good information, so it was definitely worth the long day. I’m very excited to continue to get to know them and start taking classes that are actually related to my major and my future career.”
The day ended with a celebration on the college’s front lawn, where students could pick up their newly printed student IDs, enjoy some refreshing Kona Ice, and kick back with some rounds of soccer, giant jenga, and other games.
“My experience today was awesome, and this is just a great way to end it,” said freshman Ciera Lee. “I met some new people, learned about my classes, and was just generally prepared for life as a college student; I’m so glad I chose CCSJ, and couldn’t be more excited to officially start the year as part of the Crimson Wave on Monday!”
To learn more about CCSJ and all it has to offer, visit https://www.ccsj.edu/.