For Trinity’s newest students, the 2018–19 academic year began with an abundance of events and activities designed to help new Bantams become acquainted with Trinity, Hartford, and each other.
About half of the members of the Class of 2022 participated in pre-orientation options, which included Quest wilderness adventure trips; First-Generation Preorientation; the Venture Trinity women’s leadership conference; the P.R.I.D.E. (Promoting Respect for Inclusive Diversity in Education) Welcome Weekend; and eight different Bantam Beginnings programs, all of which focused on exploring Hartford. Some students hiked the Appalachian Trail, while others toured the State Capitol and met local leaders including the mayor of Hartford. Groups fanned out across the city to discover Hartford by bike; take an improv class at Sea Tea Improv; sample great food at local restaurants; visit Trinity’s Constitution Plaza campus downtown; and tour community nonprofits and cultural venues such as the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, the Mark Twain House, and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center.
The traditional Convocation and Matriculation ceremonies served to formally welcome new scholars into the Trinity community. Along with their families, students got to know the members of their Bantam Network nests during a family picnic at Mather Hall. Other New Student Orientation highlights included a Yard Goats baseball game downtown (with dozens of students and alumni helping President Joanne Berger-Sweeney unfurl a giant U.S. flag); the International Flag Photo Project; a Design Thinking session for all new students with teams competing to build the tallest balloon tower; and the annual Class Candle Lighting at the Chapel.
Check out our highlights video below and visit our photo gallery capturing many great moments from new students’ first days on campus.
