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���ӽ紫ý leadership, faculty, and staff officially welcomed the largest and most diverse incoming freshman class in the university’s history. The incoming undergraduate class—combined freshmen and transfers—also reached an all-time high for ���ӽ紫ý.

“You’ll learn how to talk to people who see the world differently,” said ���ӽ紫ý President Gregory Washington, whose remarks kicked off New Student Convocation at EagleBank Arena on Friday. “You learn more by engaging with those who disagree…. Listening doesn't commit you to agreeing.”

This incoming class is notable for several reasons:

• Largest incoming undergraduate class at more than 7,600 students
• Largest freshman class, with more than 4,600 new first-year students
• Most diverse freshman class—driven by growth in Hispanic and African American students
• Most academically talented first-year class, with 1.5% more students with GPAs greater than 3.5 compared with fall of 2023
• A three-year high for new transfer students—an increase of 4% over last fall
• Almost 400 students enter from the high schools the university has targeted for direct admissions
• Students in the university’s ADVANCE Program partnership with Northern Virginia Community College make up 16% of all new transfer students, up 2% from last year

Student body president Maria Alejandra Romero Cuesta, an international and first-generation student from Colombia, acknowledged the hard work required to earn a ���ӽ紫ý degree but told the newcomers at convocation that it will be a “euphoric, transformative, and deeply enlightening” experience.

“We start by jumping in the deep end by putting yourself in rooms that spark constructive discomfort, that challenge you and enable you to challenge others by speaking up in classes,” Cuesta said. “We collectively enrich our understanding and strengthen our ability to thrive in a world made by difference. Everywhere you go together, we create a more empathetic community.”

Incoming students are encouraged to engage faculty, academic advisors and success coaches, and also to use career services supports and mental health resources for when they feel like they need assistance.

“Talk with any staff member or faculty member. Talk with each other, whomever you're comfortable with,” Vice President Rose Pascarell of University Life said. “We'll get you to the right place, the right person, the right website, the right conversation. Patriots thrive together, and this is your community now.”

To close out the event, Doc Nix and the Green Machine gave new students a crash course on the university fight song, with an assist from a few of the university’s basketball coaches.