Indiana University (IU) Northwest held an induction ceremony on Monday for its new RedHawks. Classes began Monday, providing the perfect opportunity to welcome the new students to the university. The ceremony, similar to a graduation ceremony, featured speakers like IU Northwest Senior and Student Body President Cicily Porter. It also featured a ribbon pinning and a singing of the alma mater song.
“It's great,” said Porter. “It brought back a lot of memories of what I have accomplished here at IU Northwest both in and outside of the classroom. I am so thrilled with the energy and inspiration that it brought to all the freshmen. I think that IU Northwest has a lot of potential; big things are coming.”
Porter’s advice to her fellow students is to try new things. Coming to IU Northwest, Porter did not know she wanted to do broadcast journalism. By stepping out of her comfort zone, she was able to use the resources around her at IU Northwest to make that possible.
“You are creating the future for yourself,” said Porter. “Be comfortable with getting uncomfortable and trying new things. College is all about trying to find out what you want to do.”
The induction ceremony is part of an initiative to help welcome students to campus. Dr. Jonathyne Briggs, associate dean of Humanities in the Arts, was a part of the committee that put the ceremony together.
“I was a part of an initiative that started back in 2016 called ‘Reimagining the First Year,’” said Briggs. “It was a national initiative that the institution was part of, and I was a member of that committee. My responsibility was to find a way of getting students more connected to campus. I put together a team, and one of our ideas was an event with all of the students to let them know that they are entering something new. We had our first ceremony in 2017.”
The ceremony has seen attendance rise over the years. Last year, the ceremony had about 275 people attend. This year, attendance was about twice that amount.
“We probably had about 400 students today,” said Briggs. “This is the beginning of things that we have for our freshman students to help them succeed. It is something to celebrate them, but it's part of a whole series of things that we want them to have to get connected here. We want that, when they come here, they feel at home and can find those connections that are so important for young people to be successful in life.”
The supportive environment at IU Northwest was one of the things that persuaded some of the freshmen. Hearing the speeches at the ceremony helped inspire confidence as well.
“When I went on the IU Northwest tour, I fell in love with the campus,” said Bella East, freshman. “I fell in love with how supportive the staff was. I feel so much more confident today after hearing those speeches, and I know that this is a really welcoming community.”
To learn more about Indiana University Northwest, visit northwest.iu.edu.
