CMU President Delivers Warm Welcome to Families, Class of 2028+

First-year students and their families received a warm welcome Sunday morning from the president of Carnegie Mellon University, Farnam Jahanian(opens in new window), who praised the students for being among the brightest of their generation. 

“The next four years or so will undoubtedly be some of the most transformative of your young lives,” Jahanian said. “Your CMU education will give you every opportunity you can imagine to chase and achieve your dreams.”

Jahanian said the students are starting their college career experience at a pivotal time for humanity, noting the world is changing faster than ever before.

“As you prepare for a constantly evolving future, you’ll need a new and different kind of education compared to the one that your parents or grandparents received. Just think, many of the jobs that you will perform throughout your careers don’t even exist today. If that scares you, it shouldn’t. Why? Because you are here,” he said. “At Carnegie Mellon, we’ve pioneered interdisciplinary programs that will help you succeed not just today but for years and years to come.”

Jahanian added the training they will receive at the university in essential human skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, entrepreneurship, communication and collaboration, “will only increase in value as automation and AI extends into every facet of our modern society.” 

Miguel Bicas, a first-year student in the audience who will be studying statistics and machine learning, said he came to CMU because “it’s a smaller school, more specialized.”

So far, his mother, Clara, has been pleased with his choice.

“The welcome has been amazing!” she said. “I just can’t wait to see him flourish these four years and the great opportunities he’s going to have.”

Nick Butler from Stanford, Connecticut, who was also in the audience, said he’s excited about all the interesting courses he is going to take.

“I think it’s going to be a great time meeting other students and studying the things that I enjoy,” Butler said. His father, Chris, said they chose CMU mainly because of its size and the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) program.

“I think Carnegie Mellon has a great reputation, and when we visited, it was friendly,” he said. “The community felt like a good fit.”

Newly minted “Carnegie Mellon Mom” Pooja Juneja, who arrived from New Delhi, India, said she’s not looking forward to going home to an empty nest, but she’s been able to put those thoughts out of her mind, at least for now.

“I found the energy so beautiful when we were welcomed yesterday, and all the student volunteers were so warm and so excited that even our energy level went up,” Juneja said. “The whole place looks so warm, and even the program they did yesterday was so entertaining and so fun!”

Juneja’s daughter, Khushi, said she is looking forward to joining a few organizations in the fall.

“But I think more than that, I'm just excited about meeting people from all over the world,” she said. “Being an international student myself, I find it very welcoming that CMU has such a diverse population.”

Jahanian closed his remarks by encouraging parents to stay engaged, and encouraging students to venture out and try new things, build bridges of understanding, and take care of themselves and others. Will Rifkin, a senior in business administration(opens in new window), and Gina Casalegno(opens in new window), vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students, also spoke at the event.

Kenechukwu Echezona, a junior in the School of Computer Science(opens in new window), and Victoria Ng, a sophomore in the College of Engineering(opens in new window), gave a rousing performance of “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers.

The event served to kick off Orientation Week(opens in new window), whose theme this year is “Woven Together.” Rifkin, one of the eight head orientation counselors, closed the program by cueing up a video of useful advice from other Carnegie Mellon students.

“We could not be more excited to welcome you into the Carnegie Mellon community, where your diverse perspectives, unique strengths and individual identity will weave together into the CMU fabric,” Rifkin said. “I hope Orientation represents a time of growth, a time of excitement and new beginnings for all of you.”