Beginning their journeys at Mount Holyoke College

Aug. 29, 2025 was a cool summer day with the bite of fall in the air. Scores of new Mount Holyoke College students descended on campus with their parents, families, supporters and plenty of gear.

Staff and current students were at residence halls, in the welcome tent on Skinner Green and at the Field Gate, giving directions, helping to haul boxes and bags, keeping the chaos in check and welcoming the newest green griffins to Mount Holyoke.

Parent Abby Fechtman from Cambridge, Massachusetts, was impressed with the turnout.

“The campus is beautiful and very welcoming. We’ve met three or four people from [Cambridge] here,” she said. “There were some folks waving pom-poms as we drove in. That was wonderful.”

Student Chloe Hennessy ’29 was standing outside Rockefeller Hall North with her parents, Mona and Dustin, peering up at her new room.

“I read the story about the updates,” she said, “and I was hoping I had a new window! And I do!”

Hennessy and her parents live on a sailboat in Florida. To get to the College, they took a passenger train to Massachusetts. That trek is impressive, but Irene Yu ’29 easily matched it. She’s an international student from Beijing, China.

“It’s a 24-hour flight,” she said. However, says she’s used to long travels from her hometown, as she is an alum of a boarding school in Virginia.

Yu was looking forward to the academic fair later in the day. “I’m hoping to tap in deeper,” she said. “I want to be a history major.”

Hennessy has a long list of classes and activities she wants to explore in her first year at Mount Holyoke.

“I really want to get in some classes to get a better chance of doing the dual-degree program for engineering,” she said. “I’m taking a lot of STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] classes. I’m taking Latin so I can branch off into some classics later on too. And I’m hoping to get involved in some other groups on campus. I might look into track or cross country this year, but I’m not sure about that yet.”

Students came with their families, dropped off their belongings in their residence halls and made their way to Chapin Auditorium, where Marcella Runell, vice president for student life and dean of students, and President Danielle R. Holley officially welcomed them.

“Today is a spectacular day, simply because you are all here and we are embarking on this journey together,” Runell said. “We are so proud of you and so glad you chose Mount Holyoke to welcome you for this new beginning.”

She also spoke about the adaptations students make in their first few days on campus.

“What if you never had to share a room before? Yes, it will be a big adjustment. And for those of you who haven’t yet learned how to do your own laundry, what’s the plan?” she asked, as laughter rang out in the auditorium. “We will be by your side as you navigate these initial changes. Or maybe you’re thinking about your class schedule and how you are going to fit in eight different classes you absolutely need. Don’t worry, your faculty advisor will definitely help with that. Maybe you’re worried about making new friends or being homesick. It can be hard and a little awkward at times. The good news is, we’ve thought about that too. We have big plans for you this weekend, and we think you are going to have the time of your life.”

President Holley was next at the podium.

“Here at Mount Holyoke, I often say — and you’ll hear many people say — we are too bold for boundaries. Here at Mount Holyoke, you can take on the biggest challenges; you can explore the questions that excite you the most,” she said. “The humanities, the social sciences, the physical sciences, exploring problems at every angle. At Mount Holyoke, we know that one of the most important things you can do is search for the truth, and that search for the truth is made in collaboration. So you will work closely with your professors, our faculty, who are experts in their field.”

“The most interesting problems are the ones that are the hardest to solve, and here at Mount Holyoke, you will partner with your faculty to help examine some of the most intractable problems that we see around the world,” she continued. “Mount Holyoke specializes in hands-on learning, and as a Mount Holyoke student, you will have opportunities for hands-on research with faculty internships here in the community and around the world, Community-Based Learning in places like Holyoke and so much more.”

She exhorted the new students to make mistakes, to take advantage of all the curriculum and the community had to offer, to rest and reflect and to start thinking about the future. But one piece of advice she gave resonated with the families and supporters in the auditorium.

“Call, WhatsApp and text your families back!” she said.