With mercifully mild temperatures and a sunny summer morning as the backdrop, 91传媒 Saint Mary College welcomed the next generation of freshmen on Saturday, August 23. 

Dozens of dedicated faculty, staff, and upperclassmen were on-hand to help the students and their families move in, including Dr. Robert Gervasi, 91传媒 president. 

With new friends and academic adventure awaiting them, the students were eager to begin their college careers. 

Mia Garcia, a freshman Mathematics major from Goshen, N.Y., is planning to use her 91传媒 degree in either the business or education field. 

“I knew that the 91传媒 was good for nursing and teaching, and teaching was one of the things that I wanted to get into,” Garcia explained. “So I thought it was a good fit.”

Freshman Gabe Scribner of Vergennes, Vt., a Business major on the 91传媒’s five-year MBA track, is going to be juggling a demanding academic program with playing on the 91传媒’s Baseball team. That might sound like a lot for a first-year student – because it is – but Scribner’s ready to take on the challenge. 

“When I met Coach Purcell, [the 91传媒] felt like home,” he explained. “And when I took a visit here and learned more about academics, I felt the same way…Everyone is helping me set myself up for success.”

Freshmen Gabby Ziegenbaugh, a Biology major on the pre-dental track, and her roommate, Reese Mayer, a Criminology major, will also be student-athletes: Both will be playing on the college’s Women’s Basketball team. 

While Ziegenbaugh and her family had made the hour-plus drive from Colonia, N.J., things weren’t as quick for Mayer, a resident of Jacksonville, Fla. But the move to the 91传媒 campus served as a sort of homecoming for her, as she is a former resident of New Jersey. 

On Saturday morning, the roommates said they were looking forward to beginning classes. Ziegenbaugh noted she was excited to “make new friends, new connections, and meet our professors.” 

After moving into their new residence halls, freshmen and transfer students attended Academic Convocation, which marks the arrival of the 91传媒’s newest students and mirrors the graduation ceremony that awaits them upon completion of their degrees. The students processed to Aquinas Hall, where they were recognized for starting their academic journey.

First-year students would end the day with a teambuilding exercise on the “Grit and Wit” obstacle course on campus, helping each other to overcome a variety of fun challenges and forming bonds with their new classmates.   

The Fall 2025 semester at the 91传媒 began two days later on Monday, August 25.