RIT students urged to launch dreams in their new journeys

More than 3,100 new RIT students got their official welcome Thursday, first parading past cheering faculty and staff in the annual Tiger Walk, then in the Gordon Field House and Activities Center for some friendly advice during this year’s Fall Convocation for New Students.

“I am confident that this journey will change your life,” said Prabu David, RIT’s provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. “It’s a journey we are excited to travel with you. You’ll be amazed at how much you will learn and grow in the next few years.”

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Traci Westcott/RIT

More than 3,000 new RIT Tigers, including David Martinez, were welcomed to campus during this year’s Tiger Walk, as RIT faculty and staff cheered them on as they paraded en masse to the Fall Convocation for New Students Thursday in the Gordon Field House and Activities Center.

More than 3,000 new RIT Tigers, including David Martinez, were welcomed to campus during this year’s Tiger Walk, as RIT faculty and staff cheered them on as they paraded en masse to the Fall Convocation for New Students Thursday in the Gordon Field House and Activities Center.

RIT Senior Vice President for Student Affairs Sandra Johnson encouraged the students to embrace their new community, get involved with clubs and activities, and dare to dream.

“Today is the start of an incredible adventure. Your dreams inspire us.” “We believe in you, and we will support your success,” Johnson said.

Each student was given a blank sheet of orange paper and a pencil.

“Consider the blank page as the start of your RIT adventure,” Johnson told them, and asked them to write down a dream they brought with them.

“Whether it’s to be the first in your family to get a college degree, study abroad, or even learn to play the steel drum, write it down,” she said. “Each of you brings a sense of adventure and curiosity to our community. Together you can, and you will, succeed at RIT.”

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Provided

Giovanna Nelson

The students were told to fold their papers into airplanes, which they gleefully launched in the air at the conclusion of the ceremony.

“It’s great to see your goals take flight today at RIT,” David said. “As you start your first semester with us, enjoy the flight.”

Giovanna Nelson, a game design and development major from Los Angeles, wrote on her plane that she hoped to open a game design and development company, mostly of women employees.

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Provided

Roman Slack

Roman Slack, a computer science major from Rapid City, S.D., wrote “Lock in” as a reminder to keep focused and study.

Lucas Ray, a computer science major from Livonia, N.Y., just south of Rochester, wrote that he wants to graduate with a master’s degree and get a good job.

Others wrote that they wanted to inspire others with their creativity; to break hockey records; to learn as much as they can and take advantage of every opportunity; and to find out what they really want to do and be passionate about it.

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Provided

Lucas Ray

Alex Shuron, donning the traditional bright orange blazer as this year’s Student Government president, told students he was in their shoes not that long ago, sitting with thousands of other new students, excited and nervous about his parents leaving, and trying to remember as many new names and faces as he could.

“Never did the thought cross my mind” that he would be welcoming new students three years later, he said.

As a new student, he initially explored a few clubs, but felt lonely during his first semester and thought about leaving college.

“I still felt like I hadn’t found my smaller community on campus, and found it personally tough to make friends,” Shuron said. In his second semester, he explored other clubs and found his niche in Greek life, specifically Sigma Chi.

“It was something I surely never expected, but something that once again gave me community on campus,” he said. “It just took me awhile to find it.”

Shuron said some of the students’ most important learning will come outside the classroom, and they should reach out to their orientation leaders, resident advisors, professors, and the many offices on campus for advice. Everyone’s path to success and happiness will be different, he said.

“Your personal growth and passion will be yours and yours alone,” he said. “Always try new things outside of your comfort zone because you never know what might stick.”

Kathleen Davis, vice president for the Division of Enrollment Management, provided statistics about RIT’s newest Tigers:

• They come from 47 states (all but Arkansas, North Dakota and Wyoming), Washington, D.C., and 44 foreign countries, with the largest contingents coming from India, Canada, and China.
• They are among the most well-rounded and academically prepared classes at RIT. Their average high school GPA was 93.8 percent, up from 93 percent last year.
• The class is also more diverse, with more than 22 percent of new undergraduates identifying as African American, Latin American, or Native American.
• There are also 951 students starting their graduate studies at RIT this year, including 13 Fulbright scholars and 123 new Ph.D. students, up from 112 a year ago. The graduate students come from 39 foreign countries, with the largest contingents coming from India, China, and Nigeria.
• The new class has 13 sets of twins.
• The oldest new undergraduate is 29, and the youngest is 15.
• And a record 550 have received a Performing Arts Scholarship, given to students who participate in a club, performance, or take lessons in instrumental or vocal music, musical theater, technical production, dance, acting, or circus arts. More than 2,300 students have received the scholarships in the six years since the program began to add more creative students to campus.

“Welcome to your new home, your new adventure, and the next phase of your extraordinary journey,” Davis said.

Keynote speaker Hye-Jin Nae, associate professor in the School of Design in RIT’s College of Art and Design, last spring received the Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching.

She urged students to embrace the opportunities that await them and take intellectual risks.

“Like you, when I arrived at RIT, I was nervous and excited,” she said. “The support and friendships I found here helped me prepare for an amazing future and the start of my career.  It will do the same for you.”

And she told them to expect to be challenged.

“These challenges are not obstacles, but chances to push your boundaries, discover your capabilities, and develop skills that will serve you throughout your life,” she said. “At RIT, we embrace challenges as opportunities for growth.”

RIT President David Munson concluded the convocation by telling students that their college experience should be about their journey of exploration and adventure, using creativity to solve problems along the way.

“Lean into life and your college experience will be filled with joy and awe,” he said. “That’s certainly one of our goals at RIT. Here, we want you to tap into your imagination. Big ideas can turn into reality.”

He cited RIT’s 150,000 global alumni who are shaping and improving the world.

“Now more than ever, the world needs inspiring, collaborative, and original thinkers and doers with a deep commitment to the welfare of humanity. We do things in our own way by embracing the unconventional to be truly distinctive,” Munson said. “We are a university where technology, the arts, and design intersect in ways that will improve our communities, our nation, and our world. And now it’s your turn.”

He urged the students to make the best of their college experience “by showing up, being present, and taking in all that this university has to offer, so you can make a positive impact, both here and in later life. By working together, we can turn big dreams into reality.”