Convocation 2024 welcomes a whole new batch of students to the Badger Universe

They sang "Varsity" and cheered on the UW Marching Band. They learned about campus traditions - and how to get the most out of their University of Wisconsin-Madison experience.

For thousands of freshmen and transfer students, New Student Convocation at the Kohl Center Tuesday served as their formal welcome to the Badger Universe and the start of their academic careers. (Classes begin Wednesday.)

Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin announced that the freshman class is expected to have about 8,500 students this fall. (Final numbers arrive after an official census on the 10^th day of classes.) Another 1,400 transfer students are new to campus this semester.

"We selected each of you from an avalanche - maybe better, a tsunami! - of more than 70,000 applicants, which is a new record for us," Mnookin told the students. "You are now part of one of the most accomplished and competitive classes in our 176-year history."

Freshman Justin Russell was among the students in the audience. He's Madison's 2024-25 Youth Poet Laureate and an elementary education major. He hopes to teach middle school one day.

"My teachers literally changed the trajectory of my life," said Russell, a First Wave Scholar and a recipient of Bucky's Pell Pathway. "They helped make me who I am today. I want to make a difference like that in someone else's life."

Also in the student crowd: Angeline Morgado, who represented her home nation of Chile at the international UNESCO Youth Forum. And Jaden Eikermann Gregorchuk, who just competed in the men's diving competition at the Summer Olympics (and will now be on the UW swimming & diving team).

From the stage, speakers offered lots of helpful advice to the new students, including the following:

• Provost Charles Isbell: "Maybe you already know what you're going to major in, and maybe you don't - either one is OK. One of the wonderful things about UW-Madison is that there are so many opportunities to explore. With more than 230 majors and certificates to choose from, you'll find the course of study that matches your passions and your goals."
• Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor: "When you get to your first classes this week, introduce yourself to the person next to you. Be curious. Even if you don't become friends, we all appreciate feeling seen, and doesn't it feel nice when someone says hello? Can it feel awkward? Absolutely. Embrace the awkward! Get comfortable with being you."

  Vice Chancellor for Inclusive Excellence LaVar J. Charleston Photo: Althea Dotzour

• Vice Chancellor for Inclusive Excellence LaVar Charleston: "As a proud two-time graduate of this institution, I can confidently say, step out of your comfort zone. That is indeed where magic happens. This is the right place and the right time to uncover your strengths, to learn invaluable lessons, and to unleash incredible potential you never realized that you had."
• Student speaker Amanjot Kaur: "See your fears as opportunities to push yourself and to discover something new. See your concerns as catalysts to take action."

Chancellor Mnookin told students they are going to explore many issues and ideas across many academic fields - some they'll agree with and some they might disagree with strongly.

"And when you encounter new ideas, whether they seem 'right on' to you or downright misguided and wrong, either way, I hope you bring curiosity, compassion, and critical thinking to those encounters," she said.

As they exited the Kohl Center, students received a free copy of this year's Go Big Read selection, "Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body" by Rebekah Taussig. They also received a free poster of the gigantic human "W" they made together at Camp Randall Stadium on Thursday.

Just prior to Convocation, students enjoyed a free lunch. Afterward - ice cream at Alumni Park!

New Student Convocation is part of Wisconsin Welcome and hosted by Chancellor Mnookin and the Office of Student Transition and Family Engagement.

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