This week over 4,000 first year students joined the Grand Valley State University community. As some new students are wandering aimlessly and struggling to find classrooms, others are sporting their Laker pride with brand new lanyards around their necks. Many of the new Lakers are fully prepared to take the campus by storm after participating in the Transitions program last week. The Transitions program was intended to help ease students during this brand new and sometimes uncomfortable time.

Transition leaders and staff members, GVSU faculty, and even renowned speakers from across the country worked to give the freshmen a warm welcome to the Grand Valley community that so many Lakers have come to call home.

Freshmen Andy Harris and Kara Malm raved about speaker Joe Martin, who spoke about community and motivation. Martin told students how to be “ugly” and tried to motivate them to reach their full potential.

“He was great at making everything relatable and understandable through his life experiences,” Malm said.

Students were also able to participate in the interactive program “Hooray!”. This program created an energetic atmosphere for first year students to meet each other through several icebreakers and activities.

“I really liked the music, being able to shake hands with everyone and meet lots of new people,” said Sarah Schultz, a freshman at GVSU about her experience at “Hooray!”,

Transitions week came to a close with convocation, where the faculty offered words of wisdom and inspiration to students at GVSU’s Fieldhouse Arena. President Thomas J. Haas spoke about potential, and GVSU’s liberal education.

“When you decided to enroll at Grand Valley, you heard the message about educating in the liberal tradition,” Haas said during his convocation speech. “We believe strongly in that mission, the mission to pass along the tools and shape your abilities and character that will help you succeed. The liberal tradition; not to teach you just what to think, but how to think and become a life-long learner.”

“Convocation made me feel like a Laker,” Schultz said. “It made me feel Laker pride and got me thinking what the next four years is all about.”

For Schultz, convocation made her “feel like a Laker” and reminded her that responsibilities are all her own.

“It’s all on us now, it’s our responsibility, it’s our time,” she said.

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