Welcome back, Golden Eagles!

Students on the Hattiesburg campus of The University of Southern Mississippi have started the new semester off with eagerness and excitement.

There were recent activities for students, such as Golden Eagle Welcome Week (GEWW) and the Welcome Back Festival hosted by the Southern Miss Activities Council (SMAC), hosted the week before the first day of classes.

This gave students the opportunity to meet new people, learn or refresh their memory on where things are on campus, and have fun before classes began.

“GEWW is a week-long event with the mission of welcoming incoming freshmen and transfer students onto our campus,” says Mackenzie Kuykendoll, a senior majoring in Voice.

“I had the role of serving as a GEWW Crew Leader,” says Kuykendoll. “My role was being the leader and helping incoming freshmen with their transition and being a mentor figure.”

Events like these, such as GEWW, are designed to help students quickly switch from ‘summer mode’ to ‘back to school mode.’

Additionally, it allows freshmen students, who have just finished high school, to feel more comfortable with the quick change that is about to occur in their lives.

As a GEWW crew leader, Kuykendoll knew how important this event was to those students, and that they would never forget it throughout their college careers.

“This moment in their lives is so specific and a serious milestone for them, and GEWW helps set the stage for their college career and the new journey that they are about to embark on.”

The Welcome Back Festival was an on-campus event that took place in Spirit Park. There were games, photo booths, food and even a truck with ax throwing.

Hosted by SMAC, this event and many other upcoming SMAC events are highly supported by students through their participation and eagerness.

For more information about how you can participate in these exciting events, follow SMAC on Instagram at (usm_smac), Southern Miss Leadership and Student Involvement at (usm_lsi) and The Southern Miss Student Media Center at (sm2.usm), in which different events will be posted on these Instagram accounts.

Welcome home, Golden Eagles. Have a great year!