As we begin classes for the fall, we’d like to take a moment to recognize the exceptional efforts of the people who pulled out all the stops to welcome our new Wildcats to campus.
This year’s phenomenal Wildcat Welcome came complete with a redesigned introduction to Chicago and to our traditions, a brand new first-year experience program and a mental health Essential NU. The heavy lifting of transitioning 2,000-plus new students to Northwestern was propelled by the hard work and passion of many Student Affairs staff and students, who sacrificed sleep and any sense of normalcy for weeks to prepare our community and campus before move-in day.
The list of every Northwestern community member involved in making Wildcat Welcome a success would be quite lengthy — another testament to the determination of the Office of New Student and Family Programs and the Wildcat Welcome Board to include our numerous and diverse communities and perspectives in this latest iteration of our annual orientation experience.
We want to especially highlight the unflagging, infectious enthusiasm of the peer advisers, who maintained their smiles and Energizer Bunny-like energy through late nights, early mornings and every 56-bus convoy trip in between. Their genuine love for Northwestern and its people helped our newest cohort understand what motivates and inspires us and reminded returning students of the same. We are particularly grateful to serve alongside the many PAs who are also involved in ASG.
The perspectives, traditions and experiences we are exposed to during Wildcat Welcome profoundly shape the remainder of our Northwestern experience and can have repercussions far beyond. The dedicated, passionate people of NSFP and Wildcat Welcome are charged with the difficult, weighty task of selecting, shaping and presenting these influences — and this year, they once again performed brilliantly and with the utmost care and creativity
To our colleagues in Wildcat Welcome and NSFP: Congratulations on an amazing Wildcat Welcome 2013. We can’t wait to see what you’ll do next year.
— Associated Student Government Executive Board 2013-14
