On Aug.18, Trinity welcomed a new class of first-year students, all of whom are just as excited to learn as they are eager for this next chapter of life. As an incoming first-year student, acclimating to the Trinity atmosphere may seem overwhelming; however, Trinity’s Orientation Team (O-Team) aims to ease the transition into college life.
Joshua Rosenberg, first-time O-Team member and sophomore business major biology minor, shed light on the importance of this organization to the larger Trinity community.
“[O-Team] opens the door for new connections with students, both new and returning,” Rosenberg said. “[O-Team] allows incoming students to immerse themselves in Trinity’s community and culture.”
O-Team can be rewarding for all students involved. For both incoming first-years and O-Team members, the experiences with O-Team can define the year ahead.
“My favorite O-Team memory was getting to know and hanging out with all of the incredible people involved with O-Team, becoming a part of something really special in the end,” Rosenberg said.
O-Team captain and senior sociology major, Noor Jahlul, decided to become an O-Team captain so he could be more involved after the great experiences he had last summer as an O-Team member. O-Team captains work to create and facilitate orientation events. As O-Team captain, Jahlul aims to provide a helping hand and guide first-years to success in their initial journey through academia.
“My first year doing it I had a lot of fun meeting new people and I felt like I had a lot of new friends coming into the new school year,” Jahlul said. “I felt like I could be a really good friend and mentor to all the first-years coming onto campus.”
Jahlul emphasized the importance of O-Team and their role in the lives of first-years. Jahul found the mentoring role O-Team provides as a fulfilling experience that allows them to act as guides for incoming first-year students.
“O-Team is the first time first-years get exposed to what campus is like,” Jahlul said. “It’s their first time getting onto campus and first time meeting Trinity students, so I feel like it’s really important to set the scene with the O-Team.”
At a campus with a diverse range of students with different interests, hobbies and majors, it is important for O-Team members to be truly representative of the Trinity community. Landry Knight, sophomore international business and Chinese double-major, acknowledges the unique walks of life that culminate into Trinity’s O-Team.
“The people on the O-Team really make the experience,” Knight said. “I learned a lot about different people that I didn’t know before doing O-Team. I could also see that through the application process a well-rounded representation of Trinity’s campus is chosen.”
Although O-Team may only be a short program, the impact the O-Team members have on first-year students is long-lasting. Knight remembers the friendly faces of her first-year students and often recommends clubs she has enjoyed as a Trinity student to her students.
“I actually got one of my students to join Swing Bums (Trinity’s swing dancing club) with me,” Knight said.
