Class of 2029 Embraced by ‘Welcoming, Helpful, Happy’ Campus

A first-year college student has much to learn: classwork, campus maps, neighbors, routines.

Thankfully for The University of Scranton’s incoming first-year undergraduate students, countless upperclassmen have come before them and are eager to share their tips to ensure a smooth transition.

“Everybody is super welcoming, helpful and happy, which really helps,” said Zoey Powers ’29, a communications major from Tunkhannock. “It helps calm the stress when everybody around is smiling and isn’t worried. It’s like, ‘OK, I don’t have anything to be worried about either.’”

Powers is one of 940-plus incoming first-year undergraduate students who today begin their freshman year. Members of the class of 2029 were selected from a pool of 9,568 applicants with an average SAT score of 1,242. Additionally, the University is welcoming more than 35 transfer students.

Powers and other first-year boarding students received a helpful hand during Saturday’s First-Year Move-In. Dozens of upperclassmen volunteers were stationed throughout campus at residence halls and parking lots, unpacking vehicles and carrying boxes.

“I find myself doing this just because of how much I love the campus,” said Daylene Marin Garzon ’26, a student orientation team leader and criminal justice major from Liberty, New York. “I love the community and I love how much it has welcomed me into it. So, I want to also do the same for others."

While most incoming first-year students moved in Saturday, a handful, like Nicco Diana ’29, an economics and philosophy major from Dallas, got a head start. Diana moved in early as a member of the University’s cross country team.

“The campus was a little quiet that first week,” he said, “but for me, it was a great way to get adjusted to campus. I was able to walk to my classes, meet my team. All the guys are super friendly and cool, teaching us everything about the campus and what to do, what not to do.”

Diana returned the favor, too, when his roommate and fellow Lake-Lehman High School graduate Samuel Plummer ’29, a business administration major, moved in Saturday.

“He was helping me out the whole time because he moved in early,” Plummer said.

About 49% of the incoming freshmen hail from Pennsylvania, trailed by New Jersey (23%) and New York (21%). Connecticut and Maryland round out the top-five most common home states. In total, first-year undergraduate students have traveled from 16 states and four international countries.

The incoming freshmen have collectively declared 61 majors. The most common majors are nursing (10%), biology (7%), kinesiology (7%), finance (6%), business administration (6%) and occupational therapy (5%).

The class of 2029 also includes 71 legacy children whose parents graduated from The University of Scranton.

Additionally, about 250 graduate students will begin their studies in the fall term with more slated to begin in the spring. Between on-campus and online graduate learners, the University’s incoming graduate student class spans 20 states, including much of the East Coast and Oregon, Washington, California, Texas, Florida and other states nationwide.

Today is the first day of classes in the fall term.

“It’s honestly amazing to be back,” said Caroline Filmyer ’28, an occupational therapy major and resident assistant from Collegeville. “When I was home for the summer, I was just thinking, ‘When am I going back to school?'

“Now, I’m here and this environment is bringing back all the fun memories from last year.”