Ali Awkal ’30 can’t help but admit he’s a little nervous on the morning of the first day of Orientation. After all, it is a big change.
The incoming Bryant University first-year student from Wilbraham, Mass., a member of the Class of 2030, has big plans. He aims to major in Finance and play on the golf team, and he’s looking forward to meeting new people and taking his first steps into a larger world.
“I’m not there yet, though,” he admits. Like any young person starting college, he has concerns and trepidations about his future, which will be starting in just a few short months.
But Awkal knows the only way to succeed is to get started.
Bringing the university together
Orientation, says Laura Field, Bryant’s director of student engagement, is a first introduction to life at Bryant. It’s a chance to try college life on for size, surrounded by a community of support. “I think one of my favorite things about Orientation is how it brings the entire university together,” Field notes.
Ross Gittell, Ph.D., president of Bryant University, puts it best in his opening address. “The next chapter of your life will be a time of excitement, a time of growth, and a time of opportunity, and we are thrilled to play a significant role in this important next chapter of all of your lives,” he notes. “Here at Bryant University, we are committed to doing our very best to ensure that your time here puts you on a path to fulfilling lives and very successful careers — and we take that responsibility very seriously.”
Making connections
Some or the Orientation sessions, like a “Classroom Confidential” panel, help students understand what it takes to excel academically. An Academics and Resource Fair introduces them to the range of options open to them, as well as the people who are there to support them.
Other, more informal gatherings, led by the student Orientation Leaders, cover topics such as Bryant slang (No one ever calls the Business Entrepreneurship Leadership Center by its full name, new Bulldogs are advised; it’s always “the BELC”) and everyday questions like “What do I do if I lock myself out of my dorm room?”
For many incoming students, Orientation Leader Mia Castillo ’29 says, heading off to college will be the first time they’re on their own, and they have so many questions — from the workload to the social life to what’s available in the dining hall. Orientation is there to provide answers, but it’s also an opportunity to remind new students they’re going to be ok, and that there’s a whole community at Bryant that will be there to look out for them as they find their path, she says.
The student Orientation Leaders offer a voice of experience and guidance for the new Bulldogs — a students’ eye perspective — says Castillo. But the most important part of being an OL, she suggests, is letting students know that there is always someone they can go to for help or advice.
Sunkamal Singh ’30, from Northborough, Mass., and Ronit Chandra ’30, from Nashville, Tenn., were both part of Castillo’s Orientation group, and though they had never met before Orientation, they quickly became friends. Singh came to Bryant to study Entrepreneurship, as he’s always wanted to own his own business, while Chandra is still weighing his academic options.
Over the course of the Orientation session, they found the answers they were looking for about resources and housing, but they also appreciated the opportunity to make new friends in a relaxed atmosphere — including late-night game sessions, meals, and icebreakers — before classes start and build the network they need to thrive.
A supportive community
Orientation also includes a robust parents’ program, where they can meet and talk with members of the Bryant community, including faculty, staff, and current students. “Parents are students’ first line of support throughout their whole lives, including during this big transition,” says Field. “We want to make sure they have all the tools and information they need to make sure that transition goes smoothly.”
There are other benefits too. “The parents make friends as well,” Field says with a smile. “They find each other and they build their own support network.”
At a parents’ reception at the end of Orientation’s first day, Darren Pettit P’30, Anne Marie Connor P’30, and Gina Lanzetti P’30, reflect on what they’ve learned and share insights. It’s one of the things that has made Orientation so helpful, Lanzetti reflects, being able to compare perspectives and talk from one another.
Sophia Scalise’s daughter Isabelle will be attending Bryant in the fall. It’s still a big step to send her daughter off to college but meeting the community she’ll be welcomed into has made it a little easier. “It feels reassuring,” she admits. “You know they’ll be cared for.”
By the end of Orientation, Awkal is reassured as well. He’s learned who to connect with in the fall to help kickstart his career in finance and has a good idea about where to find what he needs — and who to talk to if things get complicated. He even has suitemates he’ll move in with in the fall.
"I feel like I'm ready," Awkal says. And he’s excited to start.