With Summer Gateways Orientation, Holy Cross Welcomes Incoming Students

The College of the Holy Cross welcomed incoming students from the class of 2026 in June, as they received their first introduction to campus life via the annual Gateways orientation.

During one of three two-day Summer Gateways Orientation sessions, hundreds of members of the class and their families joined faculty and staff for a series of workshops, discussions, ice breakers and meals as they got to know Holy Cross as members of its community.

“You are standing at the threshold of the next phase of your life, a phase that I hope will compel you to grow into the best version of yourself,” said Michele Murray, vice president for student affairs and dean of students. “These two days are your entry, they are your access point, your gateway to the world of opportunity that awaits you here on Mount St. James.” 

Orientation leaders — current Holy Cross students holding colorful signs and brimming with enthusiasm — introduced incoming students to campus locations they’ll get to know well such as the Hogan Campus Center Courtyard (the Hoval), the Joanne Chouinard-Luth Recreation and Wellness Center (the Jo), and the Dinand Library stacks. They walked them through meals at Kimball Hall and past labs in the Anthony S. Fauci Integrated Science Complex. They escorted the rising class to their one-on-one meetings with faculty members to discuss course selection, helped them become comfortable in their temporary dorm room, and promised to be there when they return to campus for Move-In Day in August.

“Watching the incoming first-years walk into Kimball for the first time with their new friends in their orientation groups reminded me of how important an in-person Gateways truly is,” said Allison Leahy ’24, a student orientation leader. “These students are able to make connections that will last not only over the span of the two-day orientation, but also over their next four years.”

Those connections will also help form the community that will sustain and support them during their time on Mount St. James.

“This is the community that will celebrate and laugh with you. This is the community that will invite you to consider new ideas that will stretch your thinking and deepen your compassion. This is a place where all are welcome,” Murray said.

Simultaneously, parents and guardians attended special sessions focused on meeting faculty, administrators and current students to learn about the needs of their children during the transition to college and how best to support them.

“I hope that first-year students and their families took away a sense of comfort and that they drove home being able to breathe a little easier about the exciting transition that is beginning,” said Kevin Hamilton ‘24, parent orientation leader.