Each year, Pace University welcomes its new Honors class with a whirlwind of a week that offers first-years an exciting introduction to everything Pace and New York City have to offer. Spanning across three days in late August, this year’s Welcome Week included opportunities to connect with other students, faculty, alumni, and the city itself.

Upon checking in on their first morning on-campus, first-years had the opportunity to interact with this year’s Honors Advisory Board e-board through a variety of activities. The Marketing Committee hosted both an interactive photo booth for students to capture memories with their new friends – perhaps ones that they will recreate upon their graduation in four years. They also encouraged students to share their impressions of their new home in New York City through the humorous Hot Takes posted on the honors Instagram page. The Events Committee and the Honors Herald teamed up to host idea boards where students could tell HAB what events they hoped to attend and what articles they hoped to read over the course of the school year. Other HAB leaders hosted a game to get to know the Honors staff – if students correctly answered a question about one of the faculty, they were rewarded with a prize reflecting one of that advisor’s interests, such as Emma’s diamond painting kits.

Next, the Honors first-years posed for the annual class photograph with President Krislov outside of 1 Pace Plaza. Unbeknownst to them, while they smiled for the camera, their mentors gathered around the door. As they walked to the first presentation of the day, the freshmen were met with energetic cheers from pom-pom-wielding upperclassmen setting the tone for their first year at Pace!

Honors mentors and mentees kept the energy high as they met in person for the first time over lunch and branched out during games of Human Bingo and Connections. First-years also got to think ahead about their time at Pace as they talked to their mentors and wrote letters for their future selves to be opened at their graduation. The first day concluded with mentors taking their mentees on a tour across campus, visiting key places like the Health Center and Study Abroad office as well as getting a sense of where their classes will be.

The first-years returned the next morning dressed in their best business casual for the networking-focused day of Welcome Week. Students spent the morning engaged in panels hosted by both current students and alumni in their respective majors, giving them a sense of where their Pace paths can take them. They took a short break with a delicious lunch and some Insomnia cookies before having their first UNV 101 classes. The freshmen wrapped up the day rotating through different interest group discussions — based on topics such as reading, music, and baking — then meeting up with either their floors and RAs or other commuter students.

For the third and final day of Welcome Week, students branched out of Pace University’s campus. After watching panels informing them on study abroad options, what they can expect for their thesis later in their education, positions open on the Honors Advisory Board, and Jackie’s advice for NYC street smarts, the Honors freshmen joined mentors on tours around the city. Journeying out to places like Times Square, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown, and West Village, students got to see iconic locations and get a taste of all that New York City has to offer.

This fun-filled, jam-packed, three-day-long adventure may have been only the beginning of the first-years’ Pace paths, but it definitely set the positive vibes for the year to come.

First-years: what was your favorite part of Welcome Week? Let us know in the comments below!