For many of the students involved in this year’s Colonial Inauguration, the summer orientation program is a chance for them to give back to the George Washington University.
“I have found a home at GW, and CI provides us with the opportunity to welcome more students and families into our community,” said junior Kristen Pinto, a CI staffer.
Ms. Pinto will join nearly 50 other students providing service as staffers, who assist parents and siblings, or Colonial Cabinet members, who guide freshmen. The two-and-a-half-day CI program celebrates its 25th year this summer as a hallmark tradition designed to give incoming Colonials and their families a taste of their future at GW.
“We have recruited a group of talented, smart, professional student leaders who represent varied experiences, so they are prepared to serve the diverse experiences of our new students and their families,” said Anne Moore, director for CI.
CI prepares incoming freshmen for academic success, social engagement, community building and alumni networking. Cabinet members lead “Scenes from College Life,” skits that illustrate solutions to problems students may encounter in their new setting. Another highlight is the Academic Experience, which gives students and parents a glimpse into a college classroom and a chance to interact with faculty.
The staffers and Cabinet members have spent extensive hours training, learning the ins and outs of university resources and listening to presentations from different administrators and staff members.
“It is definitely very high energy and fast paced,” senior and Cabinet member Maurissa Walls said. “We’re meeting with nearly every department and trying to absorb as much information as we can to equip the freshmen once they get here.”
Ms. Walls, who recalled the connections she made with older students during her overnight stay at GW, said she wanted to become a Cabinet member to pay it forward to the next generation of Colonials.
The staffers will be in charge of helping siblings of freshmen acclimate to their older brother or sister leaving home. Staffers will take siblings to the National Zoo and on tours of GW’s campus.
The role of CI staffers is crucial for families. CI staffer and junior Aaron Hedquist remembered firsthand how difficult it was for him and his family when his older sister went away to college.
“It was hard. As a staffer, I would hope to ease the transition for incoming students’ families,” he said.
The work of CI members will culminate on June 12, the first of four CI sessions scheduled this summer. The program will serve approximately 5,000 students and family members.
“I can’t wait to apply everything that we have learned. If I can make an impact on the incoming class, then I will know that I have done my job well,” junior Cabinet member Edgar Estrada said.