Throughout the summer, Hardin said, Quinnipiac’s staff and faculty anticipated this day, the arrival of nearly 1,780 first-year Bobcats from 32 states and 21 countries.

“On behalf of them, I want to say this: Finally! Finally, you're here! We've been waiting for you,” Hardin smiled. “We've been cleaning. We've been mowing. We've been planting flowers. We've been getting the dorms ready for you. We’ve been sweeping up the classrooms. “We've been writing our syllabi. We've been getting ready for the classes that you're going to be in,” she added. “Our advisers have been getting ready to give you the advice and the counsel that you need to meet your dreams.”

As Quinnipiac’s newest Bobcats looked around the room, many sitting next to new faces and new friends, the bond was already beginning. The community was already forming.

And, with the first day of class still three days away, Hardin gave students their first assignment. Well, actually their first and second assignments, she told them. 

It wasn’t required reading. There were no presentations to build. There was only an honest effort required here.

“I'm going to ask you to do something brave every day. I want you to remember that Bobcats are brave. Do something brave every day,” Hardin said. “Now what do I mean by that? Am I asking you to be a hero every day? No. Brave things are when you go up to somebody you don't know because you feel like, hey, they could use a lift, they could use a friend, and you say hello. That’s a brave thing.”

Even on the hardest days, Hardin said, the Quinnipiac community is here to support students. It’s what Bobcats do, after all.

“Everybody at this institution comes together every year, every day, to do one thing, and that is to help you thrive,” Hardin said. “What that means for you is that you can reach out to any of us when you're having challenges, when you're struggling, or when you're happy and you want to share something. We’re there for you. That’s what I always want you to remember.”

If nothing else, Hardin made sure Thursday’s move-in at The Grove was just as memorable. Hardin didn’t just bring the infectious energy. She brought snacks, candy, stickers, scissors, pens and yes, Band-Aids.

As a parade of SUVs, cars and trucks rolled toward The Grove to unload a core memory, Hardin leaned into several windows to greet each family. Her white fedora with the navy-blue band was fun and fashionable.

Most of all, it was authentic, just like her.

“Hi, how are you? Welcome to Quinnipiac!” Hardin greeted, wearing her gold BeU@QU T-shirt, as she peered into one car’s window. “My name is Marie.”

For Samantha Morello ’30, a health science studies major from Rocky Hill, Connecticut, the wait was over. Move-in day was finally here.

“I’m really, really excited,” Morello said, standing alongside her father, Sal. “I’m really excited about everything.”

Hardin greeted family after family the same way. Her warmth seemed to melt any trepidation with these brand-new students, instantly replacing concerns with a sense of wonder, belonging and community.

“When you go in there,” Hardin said, leaning into one car outside The Grove, “I want you to imagine it as your home.”

On a day when hundreds of faculty and staff volunteers wore blue T-shirts that read, “Welcome Home,” it was a promise to these students.

It was also brave.

In Focus