Members of the Class of 2029 were encouraged by a seasoned Syracuse University student to step out of their comfort zones during this year’s New Student Convocation, held Aug. 21 in the JMA Wireless Dome. The event marked the official start of the students’ Syracuse University experience.
“Be present in the small moments. They matter. They’re your noodles. Small, simple, seemingly ordinary. But when you’re fully present they become the most powerful parts of your journey,” said Andrea-Rose Oates ’26, the convocation’s student speaker. “These four years, they won’t be perfect and they won’t be the best or the worst years of your life, but they will be some of the most special and transformative ones because they will be yours.”
As part of this annual University tradition, leadership and faculty processed into the JMA Dome in full regalia, and families and friends were among those assembled in support of the new students.
The incoming class includes students from 49 states, including Washington, D.C., Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico; 19 Indigenous nations and 60 countries.
University leaders and student speakers offered words of wisdom and posed thoughtful questions and challenges to the new students embarking on this journey.
Student speaker Andrea-Rose Oates ’26 told new students to be there for the small moments.(Photos by Amy Manley)
Oates, a public relations major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and policy studies major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and College of Arts and Sciences, told the new students she remembered being in their shoes three years ago.
“I remember what it felt like sitting exactly where you are surrounded by so many strangers, wondering what this new chapter would hold,” Oates said. “College is this wild mix of excitement, new beginnings and possibility. And while that can feel overwhelming at times, it’s also where the magic truly begins.”
Oates shared that in those initial first days, she wanted to be everywhere, try everything and meet everyone. She dove right into her college experience through her academics and extracurricular and social groups, including Hill Communications, Citrus TV, the Black Student Union and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
“Somewhere in the midst of emails, meetings and projects, I had to learn an essential truth. You can be involved without being overwhelmed and you can make your mark without burning yourself out,” Oates said. “The balance comes from being present and every meeting, every hangout, every walk across the Quad, be there because these small moments are the ones you’ll carry forever.”
In his remarks, Chancellor Kent Syverud first addressed the families of incoming students. “We know the treasure that you have entrusted to us and all of us here take this responsibility very
Chancellor Kent Syverud dispenses words of wisdom at New Student Convocation.
seriously,” he said.
He then spoke to the incoming students with two requests.
“Please come as you are to Syracuse University. If you haven’t figured it out yet, you will pretty soon. There is no one way of thinking, there is no one way of dressing. There is no one person who is the normal at Syracuse University. People here are unique and amazing and dazzlingly different. So given that there’s no normal here, why not try just being yourself,” he said.
Chancellor Syverud also asked the students to become more during their time at Syracuse University. “You have a chance that has been denied to so many people in this world, a chance to be part of a great university. So take it,” he said. “Please become more here in your own unique, your own defining way.”
University, school and college marshals walk into the JMA Dome with banners.
Chief Student Experience Officer Allen Groves shared the podium with a stuffed Otto the Orange, whom he described as a nutritious fruit that prevents scurvy, prompting laughter from the audience.
Groves said that more than 47,000 students applied to become a part of this year’s incoming class. “That should tell you that you should have great confidence in the fact that you earned your place here,” he said.
He reminded students that the undergraduate years are fleeting. “Take full advantage of this gift you have been given to be here for the next few years,” he said. “Think about the kind of community you want to build and be part of at this institution and then act in ways that promote that.”
Lois Agnew, interim vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer, spoke of the range of possibilities open for students as they begin their college journeys.
“Today, you become part of a community of scholars, researchers, artists, innovators and leaders. You gain access to classrooms, libraries, studios, lab spaces and living learning environments right here in Syracuse, across the country and around the world,” she said.
Agnew encouraged students to immerse themselves in scholarly research and creative inquiry and to take advantage of experiential learning opportunities, including in other U.S. cities and abroad. “You can imagine something new and pursue it, and you can make your own unique contributions to our collective body of knowledge,” she said. “Your education doesn’t stop at the doors of the classroom or the borders of this campus.”
To conclude the convocation, the new students recited the charge, which dates back to 1871, and sang the alma mater, following Orange tradition by swaying as the lyrics were sung. The next time those assembled will come together in the JMA Dome will be for Commencement in May 2029.
