UMW welcomes more than 1,000 new students to the 2024-25 academic year. More than 700 of those will live on campus. Many settled in on Move-In Day, which holds a mix of emotions and aspirations. Photo by Karen Pearlman.
Ethan Wilbur had already put up a periodic table and set out a collection of books – Great Expectations, Beowolf, Dante’s Inferno – by the time his Virginia Hall roommate arrived.
The two – Wilbur, who hopes to earn a degree in chemistry, and Mateo Pinover, who’s considering theatre – are among more than 1,000 new students, including first-years and transfers, the University of Mary Washington is welcoming this fall. Of the more than 700 of them who’ll live on campus, many converged on campus this week for Move-In Day. The new Eagles, who hail from 22 states and nine foreign countries, rolled onto Double Drive in cars brimming with bedsheets and blankets, mini fridges and mesh laundry baskets, storage bins and string lights. They also brought along parents, siblings and friends, all filled with emotion.
The two-hour drive from home in Pasadena, Maryland, left Marlene Chamberlin teary-eyed as son Nathan Krueger – the third child she’s seen off to college – prepared to move into his room in Randolph Hall. But he reassured her: “When I stepped onto campus it just felt like home,” said Krueger, who received a warm greeting from his UMW Lacrosse teammates. He joins 150 new student-athletes.
Across campus, Move-In Day volunteers darted about, carrying cartons and crates for their new fellow Eagles. Mary Washington President Troy Paino and wife Kelly popped into residence halls, greeting students and wishing them well. And overstuffed carts filled with college essentials, from granola bars to golf clubs, whirled through the halls. Read more.
