MMC Celebrates Incoming Class at 2019 New Student Convocation

MMC President Kerry Walk addresses new students, family, and friends at the 2019 New Student Convocation.

Marymount Manhattan College officially welcomed the Class of 2023 and new transfer students to the campus community in August at New Student Convocation, a joyful event attended by hundreds of students, as well as faculty, staff, and trustees.

The incoming class was greeted by MMC President Kerry Walk, Board Chair Michael Materasso, and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty Sharon Meagher, Ph.D. In addition, students learned what it means to join the MMC family from Student Government Association (SGA) President Marchael Giles ’20, Vice President Yasmin Serrano ’22, and staff members from across the College.

Alumni Julietta Lopez ’12 and Sameera Uddin ’14 spoke about their MMC experiences, encouraging students to dive in and take advantage of all the opportunities the College and NYC have to offer. “Join every club, go to every meeting, talk to every professor and mentor, be active in the causes in which you believe,” advised Lopez, now Director of Community and External Affairs for Senator Charles Schumer. “I learned some of the most important lessons of my life in these buildings.”

Uddin, the Senior Community Engagement & Partnerships Manager at NYC Kids RISE, praised the career advice and preparation she gained at MMC. “As a freshman, I remember walking into Career Services and telling them I wanted to change the world with my job,” she explained. “Today, as a 26-year-old immigrant woman working to create opportunities for thousands of New Yorkers, I am glad I chose MMC to help put me on that path.”

Central to the celebration is the Pinning Ceremony, in which each new student receives a pin featuring MMC’s logo on the image of a (Big) Apple. Upper-class Peer Leaders were invited to the stage to share what the MMC pin meant to them: integrity, passion, community, freedom of expression, creativity, inclusivity, and friendship. To conclude the Ceremony, new students were asked to exchange pins—not once, but twice—symbolizing the class’s multiple connections to one another, before affixing a pin to their own shirts.

Per tradition, Convocation concluded with a raucous singing of the College’s Alma Mater, Hail Marymount Manhattan. The event was the culmination of the College’s Welcome Week orientation program for new students, as well as a celebratory launch of the new academic year.

Welcome to our New Griffins and have a wonderful semester!