Over the summer, Northwestern State University hosted four sessions of Freshman Connection. These sessions, held from May through July, help introduce incoming freshmen to NSU. Freshmen were able to participate in a variety of both useful and fun activities, including financial aid, academic appointments, resource lectures, different aspects of campus involvement and Freshman Follies.
Throughout Freshman Connection, students are able to meet their connectors—NSU students who applied and were selected to show students around campus and inform them about important policies, resources and services.
Kaley Koss, a senior psychology and communication major, was a connector for the Rusteeze Red Team at Freshman Connection this summer. Koss was to be partnered with a new connector, but ended up working with returning connector Owen Stutzman, which quickly became her favorite memory of the summer. “We got to be partnered up again, which has never happened before. So we got to experience this together twice,” Koss said.
Freshman connectors work to create a fun and fulfilling experience while encouraging freshmen to get involved on campus. One way for incoming students to get involved is the Freshman Follies, a series of outdoor games played at all two-day Freshman Connection sessions, with teams competing against others to win.
During session one, the gold team reigned victorious, followed by an orange and teal team-up in the second session. Students from the second session experienced a slightly different game, as rain forced the game indoors to the Wellness, Recreation and Activity Center (WRAC). Red team won the final session which concluded the games.
Priya George, a freshman communication major, attended the first Freshman Connection session of the summer. Her favorite part of Freshman Follies was the Tug of War and Slip ’N Slide. “I loved meeting [the freshman connectors] and talking about their great experiences at NSU,” George said.
Mary-Katherine Maggio, the director of first-year experience and student engagement at NSU, described Freshman Follies as a team-building exercise and a way for students to make new friends, whether or not they participate in the games or cheer on their teammates.
Maggio’s favorite part of Freshmen Connection, though, is the Fork ’Em Farewell, when students have their schedules checked and pick up their student IDs at the end of the program. “That is such a rewarding process for those students because they feel a very overwhelming sense of ‘now I’m ready,’” Maggio said.
Freshman Connection not only serves as incoming freshmen’s introduction to NSU, but also where they will learn what it means to be a Demon. It is an experience like no other, welcoming all freshmen to campus.
