Amy Tiberi '13, left, and Morgan Bedan '13 welcome new students to Saint Mary's College on Thursday.
Amy Tiberi '13, left, and Morgan Bedan '13 welcome new
students to Saint Mary's College on Thursday.

Following a proud Saint Mary’s tradition, members of the Class of 2015 crammed their earthly possessions into their family cars and headed for the Avenue for Move-In Day on Thursday.

Mothers cried at the sight of student greeters holding “Welcome Home” signs at the College entranceway. Others felt like crying as they observed, and then added to, the endless piles of possessions outside Holy Cross, McCandless, Regina, and Le Mans residence halls. As tradition dictates, the only items in short supply were screwdrivers and other tools for assembling loft after loft after loft.

But no matter. The excitement of the day and the extraordinary journey lying ahead of the 396 first-year students triumphed over chaos.

Carmen Brooks '15 and her stuffed gorilla move into Le Mans Hall.
Carmen Brooks '15 and her gorilla
move into Le Mans Hall.
 

Logan Nevonen ’15 and her family drove for two days from Wichita Falls, Texas, to arrive outside McCandless bright and early. It was their first time on campus. “It’s nice, it’s really pretty,” said Logan, who plans to study political science. Her high school advisor told her about Saint Mary’s and encouraged her to apply. Logan wanted to go to a Catholic, all-women’s college and decided Saint Mary’s was the right place. “I’m so glad to be here,” she said.

Future biology major Sarah Prezek ’15 of New Lenox, Illinois, knows the campus well. “I went to Yearbook Camp here last summer and loved it,” she said as she moved her belongings into Le Mans. “As I was looking at colleges, I visited campus and decided this was the right place for me.”

Sandy Harmacinski, operations coordinator for Advancement Services, right, helps Laura Broussard '15 and her mother, Christine Shaheen Broussard '74, move belongings into McCandless Hall.
Sandy Harmacinski, operations
coordinator for Advancement Services,
right, helps Laura Broussard '15 and her
mother, Christine Shaheen Broussard '74,
move belongings into McCandless Hall.

As she moved into a quad in Holy Cross, Mackenzie Woods ’15 of Egg Harbor, Wisconsin, said she initially wasn’t sure if she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her alumna mother, Marianne Camenzind Woods ’84. “She wanted me to come here so bad,” said Mackenzie, who plans to study education. “For a while, I wanted nothing to do with it. I wanted to go to Notre Dame. But over time, I realized the programs I wanted were here. I love it.”

Mackenzie and the rest of the Class of 2015 are off to a great start, academically speaking:

  • In high school, 12 of the first-year students were named valedictorian.
  • Thirty-two were ranked in the top 10 of their high school class.
  • Fifty-nine were among the top 20 of their class.
  • Nearly 33 percent scored 1800 and above on the SAT.
  • Nearly 7 percent had ACT scores ranging between 31 and 36.

The class represents 34 states, the territory of Puerto Rico, and six countries—China, Singapore, Jordan, Rwanda, Mexico and Canada.

The states from which most students come are Indiana (94), Illinois (79), Michigan (63), and Ohio (28). Those students far from home include 16 from California, nine from Texas, five from Florida, and three from Hawaii.