After a year of many virtual events, on Sept. 4, 2021, St. Olaf held an in-person Welcome Ceremony for the class of 2025 and their parents outside on the Mellby lawn.
The speakers included Katie Fick Associate College Pastor, President David Anderson ‘74, Marci Sortor Provost and Dean of the College and Rosalyn Eaton ‘87, Dean of Students.
Michael Kyle ’85, the Vice President for Enrollment and College Relations, personalized his speech by sharing some fun facts about the class of 2025, like how they speak 46 different languages. He also included happy birthday wishes to 10 students whose birthdays fell near the weekend of move in.
The final speaker was Matthew Marohl College Pastor, who offered a prayer for closing. Families shed tears and exchanged hugs as they parted ways. At the end of the ceremony the students left to join their SOAR groups. Lucia Wyland ’23, SOAR leader, attended the event.
“It was really moving to see all of these first-year students interacting with their families and saying goodbye really brought me back to my own experience which seems so far away at this point,” Lucia Wyland ’23 said. “COVID-19 has really changed life on campus so it was good to see it go back to a little semblance of normality.”
