On August 21, hundreds of family vehicles conveying first-year Bobcats to their new academic home were greeted by faculty, staff and student volunteers. Working in teams, volunteers swiftly transferred carloads of essentials and excited new students to their dorm rooms, allowing families more time to enjoy room set-up with their student.

Residence Hall Director Mike Collins said Bobcat volunteers add excitement and efficiency to the move-in formula.

“It’s a well-oiled machine and there’s such a great energy,” Collins said. “We have a lot of help from different student groups, in particular some of our Greek life organizations, and also wonderful faculty and staff. People are very excited to be here and pumped about the year.”

Director of Talent Acquisition Regina Leonard said faculty and staff are dedicated to volunteering with move-in each year.

“As an institution, we are very fortunate to have an overly committed faculty and staff community. They really don’t give it a second thought, because it’s an opportunity to have that outreach, to connect with one another and have the engagement with our students. That’s the reason we’re here,” said Leonard.

Human Resources Business Partner and Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Faculty and Staff, Joanna Wayton, is a returning move-in volunteer.

“I’ve found it to be really fun. It’s exciting to see all the parents and students, and it’s also a great time to spend with fellow employees that you might not see often. You really get that sense of community and pulling together,” said Wayton.

Sarah Catenza, administrative assistant to the Office of Inclusive Excellence, said volunteering to welcome students each year is always energizing.

“We have a smooth process, and I love to see the new students so excited and happy,” said Catenza.

As a steady stream of vehicles pulled into the South Quad on the Mount Carmel Campus, Senior Director of Marketing Operations Steve Justo was among volunteers greeting them curbside and lending a helping hand. Justo has enjoyed being a part of Quinnipiac’s move-in volunteer corps for many years.

“I like the energy, the excitement and helping people, and I think it’s also all part of the Quinnipiac University spirit,” Justo said. “It’s kind of a tradition for faculty, staff and students to really participate, and it’s a pleasant surprise for the parents because we unload everything so quickly.”

New Bobcat mom Maureen Damon said the hands-on help made it a great start for her daughter, Kayla Damon ’29, and was much appreciated after her family’s two-hour drive from New York.

“It’s really great to see so much community. Everyone is so welcoming and wants to help,” Damon said. “I knew that they were going to help us, but I honestly thought we were going to be waiting in a long line for an hour or two. But we pulled right up and all these people were greeting us, and then everyone just took everything out of the car for us.”

Bella Kaminsky ’29 loved having a hand in moving in after traveling with her family from Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

“Everyone was really nice. The Grove is a really nice place and it looks like it’s going to be a good way to meet people,” said Kaminsky.

Mom Amy Kaminsky commented on the enthusiasm and helpfulness of the volunteers. 

“We’re impressed with the move-in — everyone’s been really helpful and the young ladies who moved all the stuff into the room are so lovely and so friendly,” she said.

Chi Omega member Haylie D’Orlando ’28 said helping new students move is also an opportunity to engage with incoming Bobcats about getting involved, and to help set the tone for a great start to their school year.

“I really enjoy being able to be one of the first people that they meet and giving them ideas of things they can do to get involved,” said D'Orlando. “When I moved in, it was helpful for me to have a move-in crew because I remember feeling so overwhelmed. Having a calm, friendly face made me feel a lot better.”

Noelle Carmody ’26 helped out as part of the Kappa Alpha Theta move-in team.

“It’s so exciting for the young kids and it’s a full-circle moment because we were doing the same thing four years ago. I actually got moved in by the sorority I ended up joining,” said Carmody.

With his daughter, Olivia Cottrell ‘29, starting her first year at Quinnipiac as a resident of The Grove, volunteering on this move-in was especially meaningful for Chair of Biomedical Sciences and Bobcat alumnus Robert Cottrell.

As both a volunteer and a first-year parent, Cottrell said the support Quinnipiac provides to newly arriving students is exceptional.

“My daughter, and every student beginning here, will be welcomed and overwhelmed with support,” said Cottrell. “Between move-in and their first weekend here, there’s a lot thrown at them. We give them some time to get settled in, decompress, and then get involved in the community.”  

Last year, Emma Corridan ’27, MBA ’28, was a first-year resident at The Grove during its inaugural year. Each year, over 300 first-year students and nearly 100 upper-class student mentors make up The Grove community. During the academic year, led by faculty and student mentors, first-year residents co-create impactful projects to benefit the Quinnipiac community and beyond.

This year, Corridan is returning to live at The Grove as a student mentor.

“I want to help the incoming students create a project of their own that will create lasting change in the community,” said Corridan. “Being a part of this community is really great. Every dorm has resident advisors to help students out, but here we have student mentors, which means there are more upperclassmen in the building who have experience at Quinnipiac. They know they can come to us with any questions or to just hang out. And because we’re also working with them on a project, we’re there to check in with them and help them with skills that involve planning, organization, putting together a team and implementation. It’s a great bridge between taking what we’ve already learned to helping the incoming students with what they can achieve.”

New Bobcat Krista Mogor ’29 from South Windsor, Connecticut, said The Grove building is beautiful, but being a part of this purposeful community is what drew her to apply to join this year’s incoming resident group.

“I think the projects that we have to do are going to bring us together as a community. I’m very excited and very happy,” said Mogor.

Mogor and her new roommate, Chelsea Mennel ’29, from Winchester, Connecticut, previously connected on Instagram, but the move-in marked their first in-person meeting. Having the help of move-in volunteers made the day more fun and much less stressful, said Mennel.

“It wasn’t hectic at all, so that was a relief. Now, I’m just excited and I’m looking forward to meeting more people. I feel like living in a place where people have the same goals as me is a great way to help people connect,” said Mennel.

During summer orientation, Myles Spielkevitz ’29 from Long Island, New York, met his new roommate, Nate Brody ’29 from Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Spielkevitz said he was feeling excited about choosing The Grove community.

“It just felt like another home to me, and I like the idea of doing a project with other people who have the same interests as me,” Spielkevitz said.

Brody said he was enjoying the great energy and help generated by everyone involved in move-in and the feeling of excitement around campus.

“A lot has been leading up to this,” said Brody. “It definitely feels like a bigger deal.”

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