Two young women in laugh while sitting in the front seat of a car.

Incoming first-year student Kitty Martin ’27 was all smiles as she was driven through the cheering crowd by older sister Elsa Martin, who revealed (with a laugh) that she attends Amherst rival Williams College.

Orientation leaders holding welcome signs as new students arrive.

As far as days go, August 29 was perfect for move-in. The sun was bright and the energy was palpable. As they arrived on campus to drop off their new Amherst students, families were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of orientation leaders, cheering for their new peers and waving glittery signs reading, “New Mammoths Alert!” “Welcome 2027,” “Honk your horn!” and even, “Welcome, Barbie & Ken!” Mohammed Alausa ’24 (front) helped to set the festive tone with fun pop tunes playing from his speaker. 

Amherst staff, including the president, help new students uload their belongings from cars.

Clockwise from top left: Orientation leader Sydney Wishner ’24 helps family members load their students’ bags from car to cart, while Professor of Chemistry and Faculty Equity and Inclusion Officer Sheila Jaswal holds the cart steady. Chela Cunningham ’25 and Sydney Wishner ’24 pull a cartful of a new student’s belongings through James Hall. President Michael A. Elliott ’92 offered a hand to an arriving family and introduced himself to a new student.

President Elliott stops by a residence hall to welcome new students.

Popping into all the residence halls, President Elliott said hello to Makafui Baragbor ’27 (left) and Sara Maity ’27 (right). Makafui, who is from Accra, Ghana, had just landed in the U.S. for the first time the night before. Despite that, she seemed calm and excited for the week ahead. She loves to sing and dance and plans to study pre-med. Her new roommate, Sara, hails from White Plains, New York, but grew up in Southern California. She has competed on the international level as a Team USA figure skater. At Amherst, she plans to study pre-law and political science. 

A new student unpacks their room with help from family and friends.

Jackson Hersom ’27 from Sutton, Massachusetts, is flanked by his mother and partner. At Amherst and beyond, he wants to tackle issues of social justice through a journalistic lens. His ultimate hope? “To give my generation some hope and make everyone feel as heard as possible.”

 

Families saying goodbye.

Left: Leah Kallen ’27 from Pennsylvania, and her parents, Caleb Kallen ’91 and Jill Kallen, pause their unpacking for a brief moment for a cheek kiss and a hug. “I love the liberal arts curriculum here,” said Leah when asked why she chose Amherst, “and the community just seems so warm and happy. You can just hear it outside.” And so you could—during the interview, the cheers from the welcoming crew were loud and electrifying. This “extraordinary warmth” particularly struck Caleb, who recalled his own experience moving into the Amherst dorms, which didn’t have quite as much fanfare then. 

Right: Galen Stewart ’27 from New Jersey and his parents, Elise Boddie and Maitland Stewart, hug and say goodbye after move-in. 

President Elliott at the welcome session for families.

During the President’s Welcome, President Elliott (top left) addressed the families of the new students and shared more about his own experience moving from Arizona to Amherst. “It transformed my life,” he told parents. “This is not just education for a degree; this is education for a lifetime.”

Chief Student Affairs Officer and Dean of Students Angie Tissi-Gassoway (top right) and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Matthew McGann also spoke. 

New students sit in a circle on the academic quad.

After move-in, the first-year class parted ways with their families and joined their “squads,” small groups of new students that help serve as an introduction to the campus community. Squads are led by orientation leaders, returning students who venture back to campus early to help welcome the incoming class by serving as a support system, introducing them to resources, and answering questions. When asked why he chose to become an orientation leader, Arshdeep Singh ’26 said, “Amherst really made a good impression on me, and so I just want to help make that amazing first impression on all these incoming students.”

Orientation for new students means a packed schedule. Students attended a panel representing various academic resource offices across campus. Here, Jennifer Innes of the Moss Quantitative Center, otherwise known as the “Q Center,” polled the audience on how many were taking a math or science class this fall. “And,” Innes adds, “I tried to convince the rest of them to try one at some point!”

The Academic Resources Panel participants, clockwise from top left: Martin Garnar, director of Frost Library; Jessica Kem, director of the Writing Center; Larissa Hopkins, director of the Strategic Learning Center; Jennifer Innes, director of the Moss Quantitative Center; Emily Griffen, director of the Loeb Center for Career Exploration and Planning; Raphaela Moreno, access coordinator in the Office of Student Affairs; Christine Overstreet, director of the Office of Fellowships; and Gail Holt, dean of financial aid.

 

An ailing robot visits the Health Center during an evening of wellbeing skits presented by the Student Health Educators and Peer Advocates for Sexual Respect. The fun and informative pieces explored a wide variety of topics such as sleep, nutrition, safer sex, healthy relationships and more, imparting strategies and resources for centering one’s own wellbeing and making healthy choices.

The party continued into the night with Glow Nite on the Main Quad featuring games, food truck snacks and glow-in-the-dark fun.

A full moon over the Book andPlow farm.

 

An outdoor screening of the tv series based on the life of Emily Dickinson.

“Ah! Moon—and Star! Though you’re very far—” They didn’t feel so far when students cozied up with blankets under the night sky at Book and Plow farm to watch episodes of the Apple TV+ series Dickinson. They watched the show in preparation for this year’s DeMott Lecture presented by the show’s creator, Alena Smith. The associated summer reading for the new class was The Envelope Poems, a collection of Emily Dickinson’s work.

Poems by Emily Dickinson written on envelopes and Emily's writing desk.

Students enjoyed tours of the recently renovated Emily Dickinson Museum. The Museum, which is owned by Amherst College, is free to all Amherst College community members and serves as a resource for classes and more. Pictured is Emily’s writing desk, which is a mere 18 inches square—just enough room for paper and pencil or pen and ink. Also pictured are reproductions of two of her poems: “The Road was lit with Moon and star—” (top) and “The way Hope builds his House” (bottom), which is included in The Envelope Poems. 

 

Student visting the Dickinson homestead, and learn about the poet at the DeMott Lecture.

“I believe the Emily Dickinsons of the 21st century are sitting in this room.” So began Alena Smith’s speech to the class of 2027. Clockwise from top left: Lauren Kelz ’27 from Philadelphia gazes out at the view from Emily’s desk; a group of students meet beneath the white oak “witness” tree on the Dickinson property; a student asks Alena Smith a question at the DeMott lecture. Read more about the lecture.

New students and faculty members at Convocation.

President Elliott, Dean of Students Catherine Epstein, and other members of the faculty in full academic regalia formally welcome the new first-year class at Convocation in Johnson Chapel. The College Glee Club sings, “Three Gifts,” per tradition. 

In his Convocation speech, President Elliott spoke about the idea of music itself, a theme that was consistent among many of the application essays from the class of 2027. Said Elliott, “So I have been asking myself: Why does music matter so much to this class?” Music connects us, he reasoned, and helps forge identity, generational and otherwise. A liberal arts education is something like music, said Elliott: “It should allow you self-expression, and a medium of connection—and it should also unearth difficult truths from the past; it should present to you unfamiliar and unnerving perspectives on the future. It will require you to listen.” Read more about Convocation.

Luminary display on the Academic Quad following Convocation.

This year’s orientation saw the start of a new tradition. As students exited Convocation at Johnson Chapel, they saw a transformed quad, illuminated with luminaries. This new tradition, a play on the College’s motto Terras Irradient (Let them give light to the world), provided the students a moment of reflection and gathering as they prepared to head into their first day of classes. It also marked the end of orientation.