Nearly 630 new undergraduate students arrived on campus for New Student Orientation and the start of the 2025-26 academic year.
The new students got better acquainted with the campus and each other by participating in orientation activities ranging from service projects to touring downtown Elmhurst, before joining returning students and graduate students for the first day of classes on Aug. 25.
For many of the first-year students, college life began a few days earlier, when they moved into their residence halls. Cars pulling up to the check-in areas were immediately greeted by groups of student-athletes, who effortlessly carried a procession of boxes, laundry baskets, bags and suitcases to students’ rooms.
Sitting outside Dinkmeyer Hall, resident advisor Mia Reyes ’28 was excited to meet her students and help them make the adjustment to campus life.
“I want to my residents to feel empowered, and to know that they can depend on me and trust me,” said Reyes, who is majoring in logistics and supply chain management.
Amy Bedolla ’27 also is an RA but, like her residents, will be living on campus this year for the first time, after commuting for her first two years.
“I’m really looking forward to getting to know new people, understanding different cultures and getting very involved in my community,” said Bedolla, who is majoring in psychology and political science.
In Stanger Hall, Kristopher Ruiz-Canela, a first-year nursing major from Gurnee, Illinois, was eager to unpack so that he could explore the campus and check out the new Health Sciences Building.
Once the Fall Term began, he was planning to learn more about the many intercultural clubs on campus, play intramural sports, make new friends and “just have a good time here while also studying hard so that I can build a future for myself.”
Israel Ruiz wasn’t at all surprised by his son’s ambitious plans. “(Kristopher) already has accomplished more than I could wish for,” Ruiz said. “He’s a smart kid and he’s been making smart choices, and I know he’s got the talent and potential to succeed in whatever he wants to do.”
Over the next few days of New Student Orientation, students met the faculty and staff who would be leading their First Year Seminar course, as well as other students in their major. They also tackled a zipline adventure course, and packed meals at the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children. Along the way, they took some time to explore their values and learn about navigating college successfully. Supportive experiences like New Student Orientation build students’ confidence so that they can excel not only academically but also in their careers and whatever comes next.
President Troy VanAken addressed the first-year class during New Student Convocation. “While you have a lot in common, you’ve also had some very different experiences, all of which you bring to the table, and to our global campus,” he said.
For example, he noted, while most of the students are from Illinois, the class includes students from 23 states — the student who traveled the farthest is from Alaska — and 14 countries.
“Each of you brings distinctive gifts to our campus, and we can’t wait to see what you’ll do here,” President VanAken said. “We look forward to getting to know all of you, and to sharing this special place with you.”