Mount welcomes Class of 2029 and returning students

With mercifully mild temperatures and a sunny summer morning as the backdrop, Mount Saint Mary College welcomed the next generation of freshmen on Saturday, Aug. 23.

Dozens of dedicated faculty, staff, and upperclassmen were on-hand to help the students and their families move in, including Dr. Robert Gervasi, the college president.

With new friends and academic adventure awaiting them, the students were eager to begin their college careers.

Mia Garcia, a first-year Mathematics major from Goshen, said she is planning to use her Mount degree in either the business or education field.

“I knew that the Mount was good for nursing and teaching, and teaching was one of the things that I wanted to get into,” Garcia explained. “So I thought it was a good fit.”

First-year student Gabby Ziegenbaugh, a Biology major on the pre-dental track, and her roommate, Reese Mayer, a Criminology major, will also be student-athletes: Both will be playing on the college’s Women’s Basketball team.

While Ziegenbaugh and her family had made the hour-plus drive from Colonia, N.J., things weren’t as quick for Mayer, a resident of Jacksonville, Fla. But the move to the Mount campus served as a sort of homecoming for her, as she is a former resident of New Jersey.

After moving into their new residence halls, freshmen and transfer students attended Academic Convocation, which marks the arrival of the Mount’s newest students and mirrors the graduation ceremony that awaits them upon completion of their degrees. The students processed to Aquinas Hall, where they were recognized for starting their academic journey.

First-year students would end the day with a teambuilding exercise on the “Grit and Wit” obstacle course on campus, helping each other to overcome a variety of fun challenges and forming bonds with their new classmates.

The Fall 2025 semester at the Mount began two days later on Monday, Aug. 25.

For more information, log onto www.msmc.edu.