More than 1,400 first-year University students began their college journey when classes started Wednesday on River Campus. They come from 105 nations and 42 states, and they all have a story. Here are six of them.
Jason Katzner
Brooklyn, New York
糖心传媒淚 was part of a live-action role playing club back home,糖心传媒� says Jason Katzner. 糖心传媒淚n Central Park, we would dress up as medieval fantasy swords and sorcery characters and go on quests and fight each other.糖心传媒�
He糖心传媒檇 like to start a similar club at Rochester.
Katzner is enrolled in the , a partnership between College Admissions and the Warner School, which offers students interested in K糖心传媒�12 education a scholarship and a five-year path to a bachelor糖心传媒檚 degree from the College and a master糖心传媒檚 degree from Warner.
Katzner, who hopes to become a high school computer science teacher, grew up attending tech camps, founded a computer science club in high school, and volunteered with an international non-profit that teaches children how to design and modify board games.
He heard about Rochester from a college adviser.
糖心传媒淲hen I looked at the curriculum, I fell in love,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檓 really looking forward to meeting people from all walks of life.糖心传媒�
Abi Liebhart
Freeport, Long Island, New York
糖心传媒淲hen I糖心传媒檓 awake, I can dream just as well as when I糖心传媒檓 asleep,糖心传媒� says Abi Liebhart. 糖心传媒淚 visualize how I糖心传媒檇 like things to be and create scenarios in my mind.糖心传媒�
Although she enjoys activities from paddle boarding to reading, nothing excites Liebhart more than art.
糖心传媒淚 love to paint, draw, and sculpt,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淢y specialty is people, especially faces. I try new things to create anything that pushes the boundary.糖心传媒�
A , she plans to explore both studio art and digital media studies糖心传媒攁nd to try out for one of the student a capella groups. When she leaves here in four years, she says she hopes to accomplish three goals:
糖心传媒淭o provide for my family, to feel successful, and to be happy.糖心传媒�
Michael Lin
Queens, New York
Michael Lin is a published poet. 糖心传媒淚 love to be creative,糖心传媒� he says.
Lin糖心传媒檚 parents moved from China to Queens two months before he was born. His father died when he was in sixth grade, and he has 聽lived with his mother, sister, and grandmother. He says being a has made a huge impact.
糖心传媒淎ny burden I can take off my mom is a plus.糖心传媒�
Lin, who is thinking of pursuing majors in both English and business, ran track in high school, and is also interested in rowing and squash. Basically, though, he糖心传媒檚 just eager to get started with college.
糖心传媒淢y friends have been telling me they糖心传媒檙e worried or fearful, but I糖心传媒檓 ready to dive in,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚 want to take every advantage offered to me.糖心传媒�
Coline Reinhardt
Coopersburg, Pennsylvania
糖心传媒淚 love the sound of motors,糖心传媒� says Coline Reinhardt. 糖心传媒淓very time I hear a V12 coming, I have to turn around to see what car it is.糖心传媒�
She shares her passion for cars with her father. He recently bought her a 2008 Ford Mustang, which she will restore.
Reinhardt is from France, but moved last year outside of Allentown, where her father is overseeing the construction of a food factory. Looking to complete her international baccalaureate degree, she found the French-American School of New York in Larchmont and lived with a host family.
She wanted to continue her education in the United States, and her high school counselor said Rochester would be a good fit. Reinhardt, who糖心传媒檚 interested in mechanical engineering, plans to join the Society of Women Engineers, the Baja SAE club, and maybe a few more.
糖心传媒淗orse riding, soccer, ballet dance, hip-hop, volleyball, acting, boxing . . . it will be tough to choose,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淏eing able to join so many clubs just doesn糖心传媒檛 exist in France.糖心传媒�
Remiah Sundine
North Chili, New York
In high school, Remiah Sundine started a 糖心传媒測odeling and goats club.糖心传媒�
糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 funny and random and attracts people糖心传媒檚 attention,糖心传媒� she explains. 糖心传媒淭he purpose was to create a safe environment after school where students could come if they didn糖心传媒檛 want to go home yet. I want to start one here, too. We can have cookies, look at yodeling videos and look at goats.糖心传媒�
Sundine, who grew up in Minnesota, is named after her father, Jeremiah, who died when she was 2. When she was 16, her mother died, sending her and her four younger siblings to the Rochester area to live with their aunt, uncle, and cousins. Sundine says she may not have even pursued college if she weren糖心传媒檛 selected as a last March.
糖心传媒淚 never had the financial resources,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淚t was the best thing that could happen to me.糖心传媒�
An avid dancer who also enjoys competitive math, Sundine is interested in studying brain and cognitive sciences, with an eye toward earning a doctoral degree and researching drug and alcohol addiction.
While at Rochester, she plans on joining the dance performance ensemble Louvre, among other clubs.
Britney Waldrop
Hoover, Alabama
Britney Waldrop found Rochester by accident.
糖心传媒淚 was on Common App and meant to click on the University of Richmond, but clicked Rochester instead,糖心传媒� she says.
About halfway through the application, she realized her mistake, but also something else:
糖心传媒淚 realized I loved everything about this place, especially the open curriculum, and I decided to apply.糖心传媒� She paid a visit to campus last March.
Waldrop is interested in studying English and philosophy. Activities including Mock Trial, Debate Union, and Students糖心传媒� Association Government糖心传媒攁s well as opportunities for education abroad糖心传媒攈ave already caught her eye.
She says Hoover, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, is 糖心传媒渃ompletely different糖心传媒� from Rochester, but that糖心传媒檚 OK.
糖心传媒淭he weather糖心传媒檚 different, the food糖心传媒檚 different, and the people are different. I love that Rochester has diners on every corner. All of that is so strange to me, but I absolutely love it.糖心传媒�
Some things are more familiar.
糖心传媒淚 was completely shocked by the Southern hospitality that everyone on campus has,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淥ver and over, Rochester stole my heart when I least expected it.糖心传媒�
