Jamie Evans, a sophomore kinesiology major, would agree. 

“Put yourself out there,” he suggested. “Sometimes you’ll feel shy and anxious. It’s a new environment, a new experience. But you’re not alone. Everyone is going through this together. Immerse yourself in everything. People tend to be a lot more welcoming than you expect.”

That’s exactly what Alondra Alverio discovered three years ago.

“Everyone was so helpful. They made me feel like I belonged here, right off the bat,” said Alverio, a junior biological sciences major who now serves as a Welcome Ambassador to help incoming students adjust to campus life. 

 On Tuesday morning, she and other ambassadors provided water, snacks and helpful suggestions to any student passing by their tent on The Green. Some needed directions. Others asked about Wi-Fi, the bus app and registration. 

Rebecca Lewis, a junior medical diagnostics major and fellow Welcome Ambassador, encouraged students to try new things. After attending UD’s Involvement Fair during her first year, Lewis learned pickleball, crocheting and more. 

Cheryl Martinez, a first-year biological sciences major, is eager to join a club, though she’s not yet sure which one. “Maybe hip-hop dance,” she said. “Or robotics.”

As she adjusts to college life, Martinez wants to prioritize time management and develop structure. Onoriode Roze, a sophomore computer sciences major, wants the same. 

“I’m excited to get into a routine and stay organized,” said Roze, while walking to her first class of the year, THEA/AFRA240: Black History Live on Stage, which she chose for fulfilling a breadth requirement—and for the rave reviews she’d heard about the instructor. 

Taught by Professor Hassan El-Amin, the course explores famous theatrical works, from the first Broadway play written by a Black woman (A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry) to the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Fences by August Wilson.

In a booming voice, El-Amin told his students, “I’m loud because I believe in being who I want to be.”

As a result, he shared a classroom rule, waiting for someone to finish his sentence: “You can’t sit…” 

“You can’t sit quietly?” a student asked tentatively. 

“No!” the professor replied. “You can’t sit in the same seat. That’s when people claim their domain and begin to feel safe.”

And if there’s one thing he and his fellow Blue Hen professors hope to impart on the young minds beginning their educational journeys this fall, it’s what El-Amin said next:

“You’re bigger than that.”