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This summer, �Ͼ�Ʒ�� welcomed more than 500 incoming first-year students and their families to campus for SOAR, the first of two mandatory orientation programs designed to help students transition to college.

Guided by the program's three main goals – affirm, excite and prepare – SOAR introduces incoming students to the resources and people who will support them throughout their time at �Ͼ�Ʒ��.

“They're getting the hello and the welcome from all sides of campus that will have a role in their time here as students,” said Crystal Camacho, coordinator of New Student Programs.

During each one-day SOAR session, approximately 90 students began connecting with future classmates and new student mentors, met with faculty and staff members, learned about campus resources and registered for fall classes. During small-group conversations, activities and campus tours, students could ask questions and become familiar with the place they will call home. 

Families also took part in the SOAR experience through sessions designed to help them understand the available resources. The “Money Matters” session, led by Financial Aid and the Office of Student Accounts, provided families with information about student billing, financial resources and more.

For Camacho, one of the most meaningful parts of SOAR is watching students who arrive as strangers begin forming connections throughout the day, a reminder that friendships often start before the semester begins.

“The connections that they're making are so important for them to feel more comfortable when they arrive in the fall. Hopefully they’ll see that they know a few faces,” Camacho said.

The experience also gives students their first glimpse into what it means to be part of the �Ͼ�Ʒ�� community. Through activities like “Live Like a Piper,” new student mentors share their experiences outside the classroom, including campus involvement, student organizations and favorite campus events. Camacho said the goal is for students to leave SOAR with a better understanding of what life as a Piper can look like. 

As incoming first-year students prepare for the fall semester, SOAR also introduces them to one of their first �Ͼ�Ʒ�� traditions: Connecting to HU. The tradition, which has been part of �Ͼ�Ʒ��  for more than 10 years, gives each student a carabiner to attach to a shared rope. Camacho said the carabiner symbolizes connection to a path that other students have walked before them.