Saints Camp 2024

Going away to college is one of life's biggest transitions. To help smooth the path and give incoming freshmen a jumpstart on campus life, Siena offers Saints Camp.

For three days and two nights, interested freshmen have the opportunity to immerse themselves in Siena life - the residence halls, the food, the traditions, and meeting their future classmates - with side trips to fun spots in the Capital Region. They also get to ask the upperclassmen who serve as counselors all those essential questions that don't get asked on the tour when they applied to college.

Saints Camp made its successful debut last year with 93 students. This July 18-20, Siena welcomed 143, the first members of the Class of 2028 to begin their lives as Siena Saints. The camp is organized by Zach Brimmer '20 G'21, associate director for strategy, communications and experience, and Julia Zielinski '15, associate director for communications and public affairs.

Meals, ice breakers, games and field trips kept students busy while getting them acclimated to being Saints. They even got to learn about their contrada group. The campers were joined by the 14 HEOP students who were on campus for their own orientation, which widened the friend circle for everyone.

"We heard from so many parents last year that students who attended Saints Camp came to Move-In Day and were immediately greeted by their Saints Camp friends, and were more than ready to start their Siena journey as soon as the car parked," said Zielinski. "Saints Camp is all about getting rid of those jitters that come with such a huge life change - they already feel like a part of the Siena community when they get here!"

Brimmer agreed that Saints Camp helps new students understand what it truly means to be a Saint.

"They learn about our favorite traditions and experiences, and everything else to really look forward to over the next four years," he said. "It's an opportunity for incoming freshmen to meet upperclassmen and start making connections with employees across every department around campus so when they arrive in August, they already have a built-in network and support group."

President Chuck Seifert, Ph.D. got in on the action by joining a group for a whitewater rafting trip on the Sacandaga River. The outing was the one part of camp where getting your feet wet was experienced literally.

"It was such a pleasure to join our newest Saints as they got to know each other and the College," said Seifert. "The camp is a great opportunity for freshmen to learn about campus life and the Siena Experience before they actually move in, and to get a head start on making friends and campus contacts."

In addition to student counselors, several Siena employees also helped out during the three-day camp. Andrea Cianfarani '22, associate director of operations for the Siena College Research Institute, was approached about helping out as a counselor, and she signed on right away.

"I thought it was great to be a Saints Camp counselor, and serve as a liaison between the College administration and the students," said Cianfarani. "It's a little intimidating when you first come to campus and you don't know anyone, so this is a great way for them to make connections with people who work here and will be here for them during their college years."

Emma Mackay '27 has experienced Saints Camp from both sides. She took part as an incoming freshman last summer, because coming to the Siena campus from her home near Boston would have marked the farthest she had ever been away from her family and she wanted to get used to the distance. This summer, Mackay served as a student counselor.

"I signed up last year because I thought it would be a great way to get acclimated to campus before the semester started," she said. "It was a terrific program. Everyone was so welcoming, and I was happy to take part this year to help new students make their own transitions. I will definitely do this again."