By Andrew Navaroli
With a wide variety of events spread throughout Boston and across Suffolk University’s campus, Welcome Week 2015 provided many freshmen with the opportunity to get comfortable with their surroundings and their peers, expand their comfort zones, and explore Boston.
Freshman Andrea Nastri said she fully enjoyed Welcome Week.
“It was one of the best weeks of my life,” she said.
Freshman Margot Embree agreed, and said that the diversity of Welcome Week suited her.
“Welcome Week had a good amount of small and big group activities, depending on what you are comfortable with. You could be social or active, indoor or outdoors,” she said.
There were events for commuter students as well as an Ice Cream Social in residence halls. Bowling on Monday night at Jillian’s Lucky Strike was a favorite for many, including Nastri.
“It was a good way of going out and meeting people right away,” she said. “I ended up meeting my best friends there.”
Tuesday was a busy day for new students, with the traditional Convocation ceremony taking place in the Temple Street Baptist Church, followed by a cookout on the new 20 Somerset Roemer Plaza.
“It was a good way for freshmen to go around campus and to show off the new building,” said freshman Alex Vanheusden.
Some students even took a trip to Fenway Park Tuesday night with $10 game tickets provided by the school.
Wednesday night was all about the performing arts. C. Walsh Theatre hosted a welcome show where a variety of clubs and groups performed to showcase their organization’s talent. A reception followed in 20 Somerset, where students were able to meet members and representatives from every group from the Performing Arts Office, sign up for auditions, and enjoy free food.
Diversity Services provided multiple receptions throughout the week, hosting a Thursday Bagel & Coffee Hour and a Welcome Back reception for students. In efforts to embrace the LGBTQ community on campus, a Family Dinner was held in Miller Hall to give students a chance to get acquainted with their peers and share ways on how to get comfortable in their new environment.
The crowd favorite of the week, however, was the Harbor Cruise on Friday night. Setting sail from the World Trade Center Pier on the Provincetown II, students felt that the boat was an amazing way to get dressed up, dance, and let loose after a crazy week.
Embree, from Chicago, said she loved the cruise, and marveled at all the airplanes flying overhead.
“It was beautiful,” she said.
Embree also took advantage of one of Suffolk’s many RamVenture events, choosing to kayak on the Charles River with her new roommate.
“I was grateful to see the city from a unique perspective and do something that Boston is really well-known for,” she said.
Vanheusden, originally from Birmingham, Mich., is another student far from home. He said he enjoyed the Out-of-State Student Reception as a chance to meet people who are also settling into a new city.
He said besides a disorganized move-in day, he loved Welcome Week and believed, “there were enough events to keep busy but also enough time to make friends.”
Having only visited Boston twice before, Vanheusden said he now feels more comfortable with the city and is enjoying its freedoms.
Nastri said that Welcome Week made her feel at home, and she is savoring her time in Boston so far.
“I love walking down the sidewalks, all smiles. I love this environment and I love the lights at night. I’ve never had a sister, but here I feel like I do. Friends here will be friends for life, and I’m so happy to meet them here at Suffolk.”
