Mount Welcomes its New and Returning Students

NEWBURGH – Mount Saint Mary College welcomed hundreds of students to residence halls on campus – including upperclassmen, transfer students, and those just starting their college careers – on Sunday, August 29.

A mercifully cool summer morning was the backdrop for the first of two Mount move-in days. With new friends and academic adventure awaiting them, students were excited to be on campus.

Freshman Alex Nalewajk, a Nursing major from Staten Island, N.Y., was one of the first students to move into Sakac Hall this semester.

Mount Saint Mary College students move into their dorms on Sunday, August 29, 2021. Here Riley Senk and her dad KC and mom Jen carry items to Sakac Hall. Mount Saint Mary College students move into their dorms on Sunday, August 29, 2021. Victoria Lopez and Shay Gonzalez greet each other in front of College Courts. Photo: Lee Ferris
Mount Saint Mary College students move into their dorms on Sunday, August 29, 2021. Here Riley Senk and her dad KC and mom Jen carry items to Sakac Hall. Mount Saint Mary College students move into their dorms on Sunday, August 29, 2021. Victoria Lopez and Shay Gonzalez greet each other in front of College Courts. Photo: Lee Ferris

“There’s something about the Mount that feels like home – it feels good to be here,” he said. “I hope to learn a lot of new stuff, meet a lot of new people.”

Mount Nursing students enjoy state-of-the-art simulation labs and clinical relationships with more than 40 area hospitals. The Mount’s passionate faculty are dedicated to the success of both their undergraduate and graduate students.

Paige Stathis of Breezy Point, N.Y. a freshman on the Early Childhood Education track, was eager to start building the career she has idolized since she was a child.

“My mom’s a teacher and I always really enjoyed it,” Stathis explained. “From a young age, I wanted to become a teacher.”

Stathis’s suitemate, Erin O’Sullivan of Rockaway Beach, N.Y., is looking forward to life on campus. O’Sullivan, like many high schoolers during the pandemic, spent much of the last year learning from home.

“I’m excited to get back to a schedule every day,” she said. “Getting up in the morning, getting ready, and walking to class – that’s nice, it’s what I’ve wanted.”

First-year student Samantha Roy of Queens, N.Y., a Biology major, was happy to be able to live on campus. She wants to work in the conversation field, and the college’s program was a good fit. Courses from Earth Science to Organic Chemistry, taught by the Mount’s expert faculty, are the backbone of the college’s strong degree programs in the Natural Sciences.

They also prepare students for graduate study, including physician assistant, medical, veterinary, and dental school, or for careers in industry or education.

Many Mount first-year students – like Dakota Krudis of Hopewell Junction, N.Y. – are majoring in Business. Krudis was excited to begin her college career, she said, on a campus that “is a nice, tightknit community.” Mount Business programs include Accounting, Business Management and Administration, Finance, Marketing, and Sports Management.

The college also offers comprehensive areas of study in English, Math, Information Technology, Sociology, History, and more.

But the Mount is more than just the majors and courses it offers: the college is committed to service. It’s a part of the college’s identity that has not gone unnoticed by incoming students. For example, Erin Alpert of Wappingers Falls, N.Y. chose her major, Psychology, because she wants to aid her community.

“I really like the idea of being able to help other people,” she said. “If I go into Psychology, I can do that.”

The Fall 2021 semester will begin on Monday, August 30. The first two weeks of classes will be held online, with the first day of in-person instruction starting on Monday, September 13.

There is much to look forward to in the Fall 2021 semester at the Mount.

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