It's that time of the year again where Kean opens its residence halls to its newest Cougars: the Class of 2023. The Class of 2023 began their college experience by moving onto campus on Sunday, Sept. 1. With the help of the Residential Student Services (RSS) staff, the move-in process and introduction to the residence halls was seamless and full of life.
With balloon archways and snow cones, students were welcomed to their new homes for this upcoming semester. The RSS staff was there for students during the check-in process and gave them the keys to their rooms and sent them on their ways. The hallways of Cougar Hall and the Freshmen Residence Hall were lined with eager students and yellow bins pushed by sentimental parents.
One new Cougar Hall resident and Kean freshman, Sabrine Abbas, along with her family, were very excited about starting the new chapter of her life here at Kean.
"I'm a little nervous, but I am most excited for the overall experience of being here. I'm ready to experience new things, meet new people and study hard," said Abbas.
For many incoming students, this was not their first time on campus this summer as many had attended the New Student Orientation sessions that occured, scattered throughout the summer. New Student Orientation was designed to give students a chance to spend one night on campus and learn all about the resources and locations for what they need on campus.
"Because of New Student Orientation, I felt a lot more comfortable coming in today and when I had some paperwork to fill out after orientation, I knew exactly where to go. I'm grateful for that experience for helping me feel comfortable here," commented Justin Antonio, an incoming freshman business management major.
Antonio will be living in the Freshmen Residence Hall this semester and is looking forward to getting involved in volunteer service projects and getting good grades in his first year.
"I wanna do my best to help the community and grow myself as a person," said Antonio.
Also moving into the Freshmen Residence Hall, Angel Vasquez is an incoming education major eager to begin learning about his major here at Kean.
"I know Kean is a really great school for making teachers and I am so excited to get started in the major. My goals are to stay focused and make a lot of connections with new people," said Vasquez.
A common theme for many of the incoming freshmen is the goal to be involved and get good grades. On the Kean main campus there are plenty of way to support one's academic and social goals by interacting with Cougar Link and being open to new experiences. Parent of incoming freshmen, Athena Sinisi, said she really wants her daughter to study and work hard, find a job or maybe an internship to put her on track for her major and set her apart from the competition.
RSS is responsible for the functioning of the Kean residence halls. RSS offers jobs working in the services utilized by the resident students. RSS student staff may assist in the planning and functionality of RSS events and activities as well as in maintaining the environment and functionality of the residence halls. The Resident Assistant (RA) position is given to an upperclassmen student to oversee the students on specific floors in the residence halls. The RA's are a great resource for students living on campus for what they need whether it has to do with questions, advice or help with something within their rooms.
Coming into college for the first time can be a nerve wracking thing for students and their parents. When asked what advice would they give to incoming freshmen, some of Kean's RA's were excited to share some tips on how to stay successful here at Kean.
"The three best tips I would give to incoming freshmen is to be open minded and take every opportunity to make new friends, join all the clubs you can and help your fellow students out because your situation may be very similar to theirs," said Cougar Hall Resident Assistant Tia Epps.
And so begins the Class of 2023's climb. Goodluck Cougars!
