Who are the first people you remember meeting when you first came to the University of New Haven? It was probably the SOAR  orientation staff. Almost every student goes to SOAR before attending the university and participates in Charge-In and Welcome Week at the beginning of the school year.

After being an orientation leader this past summer, I found a love and passion for working in orientation. I loved getting to meet so many first-year students and watching them grow through the year.

Orientation leaders learn so much about the university and get to provide a first look into college life for new students and families. It is a special job because you have to care about giving the best experience you can to those new members of the campus community.

Angelo Prevosto, a sophomore with a double concentration in public relations and journalism, worked as an orientation leader last summer and will do so again this summer.

“I love working for the orientation program at the university because I have the opportunity to create a foundation and a sense of community for the incoming class,”  he said.

I remember feeling nervous coming into college and watching the orientation leaders at my SOAR. They danced and looked like they were having fun, and that made me want to do that someday. There is so much behind the scenes work that goes into putting on SOAR, but for me, the hard work is worth it because of the day of you get to see the faces of students and their families starting a new chapter of their life.

This summer, I am excited to be working as an orientation coordinator. I found a passion for this type of work and want to go into higher education as a career.