As a key leader in shaping Quinnipiac’s Orientation experience, Hannah Cranston, senior director for campus life, encourages first-year students to think of Orientation as a launchpad. During each two-day session, programming, activities and information connect students with the essential tools, support and guidance required for an impactful start. New Bobcats discover how to thrive academically, utilize resources and embrace the values and responsibilities embodying the Quinnipiac community.

Orientation is also a bridge to forging new friendships and forming lasting bonds.

“This is where students start building the connections that make Quinnipiac feel like home,” said Cranston.

For soon-to-be roommates Nara Villanueva of Puerto Rico and Grace Martinez of upstate New York, Orientation provided a first chance to meet up, after initially connecting on Instagram.

“We just met fully in person like five minutes ago,” said Villanueva. “She texted me when she got here and we just found each other at the Resource Fair.”

Villanueva, who will study sports communications, first learned about Quinnipiac from a high school teacher.

“I had a teacher in my school who studied here. He told me all about it, so I added it to my list, but I didn’t know if it was my top choice,” said Villanueva. “It really clicked when I came to campus for the Admitted Students Day. I got to meet the professors and the students, and the campus was so pretty. I just knew this was where I wanted to be.”

Martinez, who will major in diagnostic medical sonography, said her college search for a quality program led her to Quinnipiac.

“Quinnipiac has a really good sonography program. I saw how organized it was, and I didn’t find another school like that, so I just knew I wanted to study here,” said Martinez.

At the Opening Ceremony, Vice President and Dean of Students Monique Drucker welcomed the Class of 2030 to the beginning of their next chapter. She also thanked parents and families for supporting their students to this exciting point in their academic journey.

“I want to thank you for the countless rides, the conversations, the sacrifices, the encouragement and the support that helped your student reach this moment. Thank you for trusting us with someone who means so much to you,” Drucker said.

Drucker said this time of transition understandably brings excitement, pride and perhaps a little uncertainty.

“That is completely normal. College is a significant transition, and it’s not just a transition for our students, but for our families as well,” said Drucker.

Following the Resource Fair and Opening Ceremony, students transition to their Orientation groups for activities and programming. Parents and families are invited to attend first-day optional programming and panels, including a Residential Life and Housing overview with Daniele Mascia, assistant director of residential life, and Kaitlyn Burrus, associate director of residential life.

“We will be showcasing all the different aspects of our residential life team and housing options for our students, to give them all the information they need before they get here,” said Burrus.

The Residential Life and Office of Housing team also host a Resource Fair table, which was a popular stop on June 17, Burrus said.

“For a lot of the parents I’m speaking to, it’s their first student that they’re sending to college; so it’s an exciting time and it’s all new,” said Burrus, who also teaches in Quinnipiac’s first-year seminar program. “Beyond housing and residential life, as a part-time faculty member, I’m trying to give them as many outlets and angles as I can to help them figure out the best route for their student and to ensure they have the best experience once they arrive in August.”

Quinnipiac’s first-year housing is centrally located on the Mount Carmel Campus along Bobcat Way, putting students just steps away from the Carl Hansen Student Center, dining options, the Recreation and Wellness Center and the Arnold Bernhard Library.

During the Opening Ceremony, Chief Experience Officer Tom Ellett encouraged families to take advantage of Orientation to learn more and ask questions from Quinnipiac’s experts on residential life, housing, financial aid, admissions, student affairs, One Stop, registration and more.

While a wealth of Quinnipiac new student information is available online, Burrus said Orientation’s face-to-face experience is especially reassuring for students and parents.

“When we see them for the first time, that first impression that we’re making really helps to make them feel less nervous and more excited,” said Burrus.

As a parent sending her first child off to college, mom Chrisma Harris said she’s grateful for Orientation’s family programming.

“I think I’m a little bit nervous, so I’m going to listen in and see what that’s all about,” said Harris. “I’m also excited for her. She’s embarking on independence and she’s also decided on what she wants to take on as her work, so hopefully Quinnipiac is going to get her onboard with that.”

Harris’ daughter, Payton Alcarez ’30 of Waterbury, Connecticut, will major in mechanical engineering at Quinnipiac.

“My main goal at Orientation is to take away more information,” Alcarez said. “I want to know more about what my opportunities are here, and how far I can go.”

For New Hampshire resident Kelsey Sweet ’30, Orientation was the next stop on an impressive list of previous Quinnipiac visits and experiences. She participated in Bobcat for a Day (an immersive, personalized shadowing experience for prospective and admitted students), attended an open house, and joined in Quinnipiac’s Admitted Students Experience.

Sweet said Quinnipiac’s sense of community and its accelerated dual-degree (3+1) programs clinched her choice to attend. She plans to earn her bachelor's degree in journalism and master’s in business administration.

“The first thing I noticed was Quinnipiac’s drive to support its community through both academic and social gathering. I remember the first time I was on this campus, there was sense of home — everyone wanted to be here. They took pride in what their school meant to them, and I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself,” said Sweet.

Sweet said she hoped Orientation would give her a chance to connect with many motivated members of the Class of 2030.

“I hope to see people who want to get as involved and make a change, and I’m excited to see what the Class of 2030 has in store,” said Sweet.

Two families who share the same last name and know each other well, but are new members of the Quinnipiac family, came to Orientation to give their daughters a headstart as new Bobcats.

Twin sisters Grace Scolaro ’30 and Natalie Scolaro ‘30 of Setauket, New York, will both study nursing at Quinnipiac. Their friend Cate Scolaro ‘30 of Stony Brook, New York, plans to pursue an accelerated dual-degree combining a bachelor’s degree in sport and entertainment management with a master’s degree. The three friends also plan to try out for Quinnipiac women’s club ice hockey team.

“Our families met when the girls were playing softball, because they all had the same last name, which is not a common name,” said the twins’ dad, Frank Scolaro.

Some years later, Cate Scolaro’s relative completed an ancestry DNA profile and found the two families are distantly related, said her parents, Victoria and Lenny Scolaro.

“They also went to the same high school, and now they’re all going to Quinnipiac — which is something they hadn’t planned,” added the twin’s mom, Christine Scolaro. “They all found out after the fact, when they saw it on their high school’s college commitment page.”

Scolaro said she and her daughters fell in love with Quinnipiac and the School of Nursing while making a visit during their college search.  

“The nursing presentation here was phenomenal, and the nursing facility is amazing,” said Scolaro.

Cate Scolaro’s dad said he was impressed to hear from a member of Quinnipiac’s Board of Trustees when the family came to attend an accelerated dual-degree presentation.

“When we came in for the 3+1 program, one of the trustees spoke to the group — it wasn’t scheduled or anything, he just spoke to us. It just made me feel like they’re invested in the success of the students and that they’re not just a number here,” Lenny Scolaro said. “It’s an environment she can thrive in, and a network of people. Everybody that was involved in that discussion seemed really focused on the student outcomes.”

Victoria Scolaro said the family’s first visit to Quinnipiac also made an instant, unforgettable impression.

“When we came here, it just felt like it fit. We had seen other campuses of similar size; but you just felt like it was home. It’s beautiful, it’s new and the technology is here. It just feels as if it’s going to be a phenomenal place for her,” Scolaro said.

“I make the analogy of a blind date — within a couple of seconds, it’s yes or no,” added Frank Scolaro. “It’s the same thing with touring colleges. When Christine came here with the girls, she told me, ‘I absolutely loved it, and I think they do too.’ You just felt it — this is the place they’re going to be.”