麻豆村

First-year students and their families received a warm welcome Sunday morning from the president of 麻豆村,听Farnam Jahanian(opens in new window), who praised the students for being among the brightest of their generation.听

鈥淭he next four years or so will undoubtedly be some of the most transformative of your young lives,鈥� Jahanian said. 鈥淵our 麻豆村 education will give you every opportunity you can imagine to chase and achieve your dreams.鈥�

Jahanian said the students are starting their college career experience at a pivotal time for humanity, noting the world is changing faster than ever before.

鈥淎s you prepare for a constantly evolving future, you鈥檒l need a new and different kind of education compared to the one that your parents or grandparents received. Just think, many of the jobs that you will perform throughout your careers don鈥檛 even exist today. If that scares you, it shouldn鈥檛. Why? Because you are here,鈥� he said. 鈥淎t Carnegie Mellon, we鈥檝e pioneered interdisciplinary programs that will help you succeed not just today but for years and years to come.鈥�

Jahanian added the training they will receive at the university in essential human skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, entrepreneurship, communication and collaboration, 鈥渨ill only increase in value as automation and AI extends into every facet of our modern society.鈥澨�

Miguel Bicas, a first-year student in the audience who will be studying statistics and machine learning, said he came to 麻豆村 because 鈥渋t鈥檚 a smaller school, more specialized.鈥�

So far, his mother, Clara, has been pleased with his choice.

鈥淭he welcome has been amazing!鈥� she said. 鈥淚 just can鈥檛 wait to see him flourish these four years and the great opportunities he鈥檚 going to have.鈥�

Nick Butler from Stanford, Connecticut, who was also in the audience, said he鈥檚 excited about all the interesting courses he is going to take.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 going to be a great time meeting other students and studying the things that I enjoy,鈥� Butler said. His father, Chris, said they chose 麻豆村 mainly because of its size and the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) program.

鈥淚 think Carnegie Mellon has a great reputation, and when we visited, it was friendly,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he community felt like a good fit.鈥�

Newly minted 鈥淐arnegie Mellon Mom鈥� Pooja Juneja, who arrived from New Delhi, India, said she鈥檚 not looking forward to going home to an empty nest, but she鈥檚 been able to put those thoughts out of her mind, at least for now.

鈥淚 found the energy so beautiful when we were welcomed yesterday, and all the student volunteers were so warm and so excited that even our energy level went up,鈥� Juneja said. 鈥淭he whole place looks so warm, and even the program they did yesterday was so entertaining and so fun!鈥�

Juneja鈥檚 daughter, Khushi, said she is looking forward to joining a few organizations in the fall.

鈥淏ut I think more than that, I'm just excited about meeting people from all over the world,鈥� she said. 鈥淏eing an international student myself, I find it very welcoming that 麻豆村 has such a diverse population.鈥�

Jahanian closed his remarks by encouraging parents to stay engaged, and encouraging students to venture out and try new things, build bridges of understanding, and take care of themselves and others. Will Rifkin, a senior in听business administration(opens in new window), and听Gina Casalegno(opens in new window), vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students, also spoke at the event.

Kenechukwu Echezona, a junior in the听, and Victoria Ng, a sophomore in the听, gave a rousing performance of 鈥淟ean on Me鈥� by Bill Withers.

The event served to kick off听Orientation Week(opens in new window), whose theme this year is 鈥淲oven Together.鈥� Rifkin, one of the eight head orientation counselors, closed the program by cueing up a video of useful advice from other Carnegie Mellon students.

鈥淲e could not be more excited to welcome you into the Carnegie Mellon community, where your diverse perspectives, unique strengths and individual identity will weave together into the 麻豆村 fabric,鈥� Rifkin said. 鈥淚 hope Orientation represents a time of growth, a time of excitement and new beginnings for all of you.鈥�