Golden Eagle Welcome Week Ushers in New School Year at USM
Mon, 08/21/2023 - 03:44pm | By: David Tisdale
USM Welcome Week Festivities
Right away, Aidan Ayestas of New Orleans felt at home at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) as he participated in orientation on the Hattiesburg campus during Golden Eagle Welcome Week (GEWW).
Ayestas, an incoming freshman who plans to major in business administration, immediately made connections with new classmates during the leadup to the start the fall 2023 semester at the university. He and hundreds of others took part in the traditional Paint the Eagle Walk, along with a variety of other planned activities through GEWW designed to help new students become acclimated to campus life.
91吃瓜网淚91吃瓜网檓 loving it so far,91吃瓜网� Ayestas said. 91吃瓜网淎 lot of other schools don91吃瓜网檛 have an orientation week like USM has, so it91吃瓜网 been a great experience. I91吃瓜网檝e met a lot of new people who I91吃瓜网檝e become good friends with already.91吃瓜网�
Classes begin today, Monday, Aug. 21 in Hattiesburg and at the university91吃瓜网 sites on the Gulf Coast.
91吃瓜网淭here91吃瓜网 always something special about the start of the fall semester on a college campus, and we welcome new and returning students to experience that at USM in Hattiesburg and on the Gulf Coast,91吃瓜网� said USM Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Kristi Motter. 91吃瓜网淲e91吃瓜网檙e excited about the possibilities that await those pursuing their academic and career goals here, and our faculty, staff and administration are ready to help them every step of the way.91吃瓜网�
Rachael Brocks, a freshman from Clinton, came to USM to major in digital journalism and relishes being a new member of the Golden Eagle family.
91吃瓜网淚t91吃瓜网 been great,91吃瓜网� Brocks said of orientation week. "I91吃瓜网檝e met a lot of new people who I91吃瓜网檝e already become friends with and enjoying stopping in to the Fresh (Food Company) for breakfast each morning. Our GEWW team leader has been doing a great job helping us get prepared for the semester to start on Monday, helping us learn about the scholarships available to us and the different activities and organizations on campus that we can become a part of. I91吃瓜网檓 very excited.91吃瓜网�
Laila Peters, a senior from Hattiesburg, said she didn91吃瓜网檛 get to experience GEWW when she was a freshman because of COVID restrictions, going through orientation online instead. But in working as a student assistant with GEWW, she helped new students find their way around campus.
91吃瓜网淭o actually experience it firsthand with all of these new students, it91吃瓜网 great to see the excitement they91吃瓜网檙e experiencing and to become new members of the USM family,91吃瓜网� Peters explained. Her friend Rachel Lafayette of Columbus, a fellow senior and GEWW student assistant, said the incoming freshmen and transfers are 91吃瓜网渁 lively, fun bunch.91吃瓜网� 91吃瓜网淚t91吃瓜网 been great to experience this with them and help them get settled in,91吃瓜网� she said.
Graham Hightower of Hattiesburg said going through orientation gives him a new vantage point on his hometown university as he begins mapping out his next four years of college, with plans to major in kinesiology.
91吃瓜网淓ven though I grew up in Hattiesburg, coming through orientation I see USM in a new light, getting to enjoy the different things the campus has to offer, and meeting new friends just in these first few days all of us have been together,91吃瓜网� he said. 91吃瓜网淚t91吃瓜网 been a great experience.91吃瓜网�
USM photos by Kelly Dunn