Over several jam-packed days of activities, discussions, laughter and perfect weather, Elmhurst College welcomed the Class of 2021 to campus.
On Wednesday morning, first-year students and their families began arriving half an hour before the official start of the big move-in, and soon the residence halls were seeing a steady procession of boxes, lamps, rugs, and mini-fridges.
After lunch, students said goodbye to their families and started getting to know each other, as well as the campus that will become their second home. Their busy schedules included meeting their First-Year Seminar classmates and faculty, doing a service project, touring the City of Elmhurst in a trolley, and taking part in the Dear World storytelling project. They also took time to explore their values and learn about how to succeed in college.
During the New Student Convocation, President Troy D. VanAken told them why they already are destined to be a particularly memorable class. “We will always feel a special bond to you because you are the Class of 2021,” he said. “Elmhurst College was founded in 1871, so you will be our sesquicentennial or 150th class.”
He also described some individual student achievements that make the class unique:
- One saved three people from drowning this summer.
- One is in the top 0.5% of all ranked players in League of Legends.
- Two are cancer survivors—one of whom earned all-state football status.
- The class includes several Eagle Scouts.
- One student is a member of the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement.
- One is a Congressional medal of merit winner, who also is an all-state wrestler and a snow-globe collector.
- Several went on medical and other mission trips to Africa, Peru, Native American reservations in Canada, and across the U.S.
“I encourage you to take advantage of every moment you are here,” he added. “You’ll never get such an opportunity again, to be able to take the time to learn, think and grow.”