By Houston Tyree, ’23

St. Bonaventure University’s orientation team is on campus and preparing to welcome the Class of 2025 to the university community.

Most of the more than 500 undergraduate students in the Class of 2025 will come to campus for one of the four in-person orientation sessions (July 12-13, 15-16, 19-20, and 22-23). Members of the class who are unable to attend in person will be welcomed during an online orientation session on July 14.

Along with participating in activities designed to meet fellow classmates, incoming students learn about academics, extracurricular activities, support systems, and opportunities offered at SBU.

“Orientation is where you start creating the connections to the people you are going to spend the next four years with,” said Dahron Wells ’19, assistant director of the Student Success Center. “Not only are you introduced to the people who will become lifelong friends, but you will meet the dedicated faculty and staff that are here to support you inside and outside the classroom throughout your time as a Bonnie.”

The orientation theme this summer is #BecomingBonnies. It represents the incoming class’s transition from high school graduates to members of the Bona Family.

“Joining the Bona Family gives you an incredible sense of belonging, warmth and community. It is something indescribable, and a feeling I will cherish long after my graduation,” said Charlie Randall ’21, orientation co-coordinator.

While welcoming students to the St. Bonaventure campus is an important aspect of orientation, it is just as important to welcome their parents and family to the community. A parent and family orientation, led by two orientation leaders, runs simultaneously with the student schedule.

“As an orientation parent leader, I will be working with parents who may be experiencing an empty nest for the first time and helping them navigate a complicated transition to supporting their student,” said Megan Hartsell, ’24.

The Class of 2025 will return to campus Aug. 27 for Welcome Days and classes begin Aug. 30.

More information about orientation is available at www.sbu.edu/Orientation.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. In 2020, St. Bonaventure was named the #2 regional university value in New York and #3 in the North by U.S. News and World Report.