Listen: First Collection and New Student Orientation 2017

September 4th, 2017

The journey is underway for the Class of 2021, which arrived on campus last week and participated in several Swarthmore traditions, including the First Community Gathering and First Collection. During that first week on campus, the new class also took time to unwind with games on Parrish Beach, explored numerous academic paths at the annual academic advising fair, and received free plants from the Scott Arboretum.

On the first day of orientation, community leaders, including President Valerie Smith, welcomed the Class of 2021 and reflected on how engaging in community transforms and deepens one's sense of self. Last night, new students enjoyed First Collection, a long-standing tradition held in the Scott Outdoor Amphitheater that marks the official beginning of every student's experience. At that event, students share insights, pass the light of their candle to each other, and sing the alma mater.

 

Four students post together holding lit candles

First Collection for the Class of 2021.

Several rows of people holding candles light up the night in the Scott Amphitheater

First Collection for the Class of 2021.

Two students lit by candle light look down at a piece of paper together

First Collection for the Class of 2021.

Three students sit together holding lit candles

First Collection for the Class of 2021.

Three students take a selfie together while holding candles outside at night

New students take a selfie during First Collection for the Class of 2021.

A student looks down and smiles at the candle he is holding

First Collection for the Class of 2021.

One student stares at the camera as he sits with three friends holding candles

First Collection for the Class of 2021.

Students help carry bags of a new student on move in day

Students help on Move-in Day for the Class of 2021.

Students try to catch the pieces of a giant Jenga game as it collapses

Fun and games on Parrish Beach for the Class of 2021.

President Valerie Smith talks to a student and his family in his dorm room on move in day

President Valerie Smith talks to a student and his family in his new room on Move-In Day.

A student creates a giant bubble using a wand on Parrish Beach

Fun and games on Parrish Beach during New Student Orientation.

Students talk to advisors at the advising fair

The annual new student academic advising fair.

A student leans in to listen to a professor speak to her during the academic advising fair

The annual new student academic advising fair.

Student shovel dirt into planters at the annual plant giveaway

New students receive plants at the annual Scott Arboretum Plant Giveaway.

Two students look at their plants during the plant giveaway

New students receive plants at the annual Scott Arboretum Plant Giveaway.

Students in the Class of 2021 stand in a field in the formation of their class year

Class photo by Simona Dwass '19.

First Collection for the Class of 2021.

Photo /
1 of 16

First Gathering 2017: President Valerie Smith

Audio Player Controls
0:00 / 0:00

"We need you to be able to use everything in your toolkit to help solve the most intractable problems we face as a nation and as a global community," says President Valerie Smith. "Use all of your tools wisely, creatively, and with a clear sense of what problem you're attempting to fix. And then, be single minded in your determination to go out and fix it."

First Gathering 2017: Luis Ceballos '18

Audio Player Controls
0:00 / 0:00

"Be patient, be kind, listen intently, and hopefully you will find yourself loving the people on this campus just as much as I do," says Luis Ceballos '18, a Chinese and computer science major from Santa Ana, Calif., who spoke on behalf of Derrick Graves '18.

First Gathering 2017: Emily Anne Nolte Jacobstein '07

Audio Player Controls
0:00 / 0:00

"Dive in. Explore it all. Join clubs, try new a sport, and take on the new challenges," says Emily Anne Nolte Jacobstein '07, president-designate of Alumni Council. "This is your chance to do exactly that and don't be afraid. You have an entire community here to support you and help you through it."

First Gathering 2017: Associate Professor of Classics & Philosophy Grace Ledbetter

Audio Player Controls
0:00 / 0:00

"Decide what kind of student you're going to be. Don't be afraid of admitting that you don't know something or that you might be wrong," says Grace Ledbetter, associate professor and chair of classics and associate professor of philosophy. "What you get out of your college education depends on it."

Welcome Swarthmore Class of 2021!

Submissions Welcome

The Communications Office invites all members of the Swarthmore community to share videos, photos, and story ideas for the College's website. Have you seen an alum in the news? Please let us know by writing news@swarthmore.edu.