With mercifully mild temperatures and a sunny summer morning as the backdrop, Mount 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, Mount 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 Mount degree in either the business or education field.
“I knew that the Mount 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 Mount’s five-year MBA track, is going to be juggling a demanding academic program with playing on the Mount’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 Mount] 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 Mount 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 Mount’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 Mount began two days later on Monday, August 25.