Welcome, Class of 2030

Incoming first-year student Rayat Chowdhury sat in front of a wooden chessboard and strategically plotted. Three moves in, he looked at his opponent.

“Checkmate,” he said.

They shook hands following the match and Chowdhury began making connections with others gathered around the game table. “I hope this win is a sign for the good things to come,” said Chowdhury, who plans to study robotics engineering. “I’m a bit nervous since everything is new, but I’m also very excited to be at UM-Dearborn.”

Chowdhury was one of nearly 900 incoming students who attended Wolverine Welcome Day and the Go Blue! Bash block party on Aug. 25. The back-to-back events are a fall tradition to help new students become familiar with campus and excited about the next chapter in their lives.

In addition to playing games, Dearborn Wolverines spent an afternoon strolling throughout campus to check out more than 150 booths with information on academic programs, student-facing services and student organizations. New first-year, transfer and graduate students also had the opportunity to tour campus buildings, meet faculty and staff, and find classroom locations.

Director of One Stop Services Julie Faust greeted students throughout the day with handmade brightly colored friendship bracelets — passing out nearly 300 of them. “The response from new students was so great. Students put their bracelets on immediately,” said Faust, who said staff across the university have been making the bracelets during the past year in preparation for the day. “We heard a lot of ‘I love it here already.’”

Chancellor Gabriella Scarlatta met with students visiting the various booths and personally welcomed them to campus. At the beginning of the day, she gave a keynote speech to greet the class of 2030. “Your generation will be called to provide leadership, to develop medicines, to navigate through wars, to solve the climate crisis,” Scarlatta said during her address. “You will change the world.”

She also encouraged participation in campus culture by joining student organizations, attending athletic events for the university’s 16 sports teams, using the campus Wellness Center or volunteering within the surrounding Dearborn and Detroit communities.

At the Go Blue! Bash, some organizations, like the Black Student Union, displayed poster boards with photos of members and upcoming events. Others, including MASA-Dearborn and Formula SAE, showcased their skills by displaying objects they built — MASA’s booth featured a rocket, and Formula SAE’s featured a racing vehicle.

Taking Scarlatta’s words to heart, Haia Hajmohammed, who plans to major in accounting, browsed the student organization tables.

“I’m looking to get involved right away,” she said after listening to representatives from College of Business groups, such as Women in Business and the Financial Management Association.

Hajmohammed, who was admitted to multiple universities, chose UM-Dearborn for its academic reputation and proximity to home. Between classes, Hajmohammed plans to help her family by picking up her younger siblings, ages 5 to 13, from school and working at her family’s jewelry store, Dearborn Gold Market.

Incoming first-year student Sam Shumake recently moved to Dearborn from East Lansing. He likes his new roommates at The Union and looks forward to making more friends. When Shumake saw campus mascot Bruce the Goose, he waved and walked over to get a photo. The former high school athlete chose UM-Dearborn for its proximity to Detroit and the sports management program in the College of Education, Health, and Human Services.

“Sports are one of the most influential things in the world. It brings people together regardless of their culture, language or experiences,” Shumake said. He hopes to land an internship in the Detroit sports scene during his time at the university.

The day was not just for making new connections. Some students enjoyed creating memories with longtime friends.

A group of four — Ava Skalski, Allie Richards, Emma Kanopsky and Ellie Murphy — drove to campus together in Richards’ gray Nissan, listening to throwback Disney Channel tracks while talking about the future.

The Livonia Stevenson High School graduates spent the day walking campus and finding their classroom locations. Kanopsky, who plans to major in political science, was impressed with the College of Arts, Sciences and Letters Building and the campus grounds.

“You hear how UM-Dearborn is a commuter campus, but it doesn’t feel that way when you are here. It’s bigger than I expected it to be, there’s so much going on and the buildings are new and really nice,” she said. “I also like how the campus is pretty to look at because it’s so green.”

Back at the chess table, Chowdhury said he enjoys the campus grounds too. He recalls hiking the university’s Environmental Interpretive Center trails on a school field trip and looks forward to taking walks between classes.

“There’s so much I want to do when I am here. I am interested in doing research and learning new things from my professors,” said Chowdhury, who is a Go Blue Guarantee Scholarship recipient. “But first, I should figure out where my classes are.”

Story by Sarah Tuxbury, photos by Matthew Stephens