Duane Bonifer  |  Published June 23, 2017

Meeting the Class of 2021

New Scots and their family members welcomed to Monmouth
Associate Dean of Students Michelle Merritt addresses more than 600 new students and family members who came to campus on Saturday for Sc...
Associate Dean of Students Michelle Merritt addresses more than 600 new students and family members who came to campus on Saturday for Scots Summer Orientation.
Aubrey Vaughan ’21 woke up at 3:15 a.m. to begin his Monmouth College career.

The Bourbonnais, Ill., resident got up before dawn on Saturday to drive more than three hours to campus with his mother, Johnell.

“I’m going to play football at Monmouth, so I need to get used to getting up early,” said Vaughan, who plans to major in exercise science. “When football starts in August, they’re planning to have us wake up at 5 or 6 a.m., so I need to get used to early mornings.”

Vaughan was among more than 600 new students and family members who came to campus on Saturday for Scots Summer Orientation. The daylong event is designed to introduce new students to Monmouth and “what it means to be a Scot.”

“We want this day to be a great introduction to both students and their family members about what it means to be a Scot,” said Associate Dean of Students Michelle Merritt. “Our Admission Office has brought in another great class, and we are excited to start welcoming the Class of 2021 to campus.”

Another orientation will be held in August for students who couldn’t make it to the June 24 event. The new students and their family members who attended the first Scots Summer Orientation met with faculty and staff, learn more about life at Monmouth and meet their new classmates.

“I met a lot of great people,” said Conner DeVilder ’21 of Kewanee, Ill., who plans to major in physics. “Everyone here has been very nice and welcoming.”

Logan Evans ’21 of Glasford, Ill., said Scots Summer Orientation has been “really cool.”

“Everyone’s real genuine, and people just come up and talk to you,” said Evans, who plans to major in biology.

New students also spent a lot of time talking to Monmouth faculty about the College’s culture and academic expectations.

“This is a great place to be,” Assistant Professor of Classics Robert Holschuh Simmons told a group of students he and Assistant Professor of History Michelle Damian met with. “It’s a great place to be a student. It’s a great place to be a professor. It’s a great place to live.”

Ta’Keya Thompson ’21 of Chicago was already counting down the days until she returns to campus. She will be back in 36 days to participate in SOFIA – Summer Opportunities for Intellectual Activities, Monmouth’s innovative three-week program that allows select new and returning students to conduct in-depth research and inquiry with Monmouth faculty.

“I like the people I’ve met at Monmouth and the experience is nice,” said Thompson, who plans to major in biochemistry or biology. “When I did an overnight at Monmouth, everyone was really nice, and I’m looking to coming back.”
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