Building New Memories: Students and Families Share Their First Day at Babson
Every year, like clockwork, new students and their parents arrive at Babson’s Wellesley campus ready to move into their residence halls, get settled with roommates, and say goodbye to their parents.
And, every year, says residential assistant supervisor Ikay Ekeji MBA’25, move-in day is just a little different.
“You never know exactly what to expect,” says Ekeji, who has been helping load and unload move-in carts stacked high with lamps, rolled-up rugs, pre-assembled furniture, and full-length mirrors. In between packing and unpacking, Ekeji guides the new students to what will be their home for the next year. “The vibes have definitely been different this year,” he says. “Students are more excited and a little more nervous.”
MORE FROM MOVE-IN: Read more and see more photos as the Class of 2028 moves in.
As an RA supervisor, Ekeji will not only oversee all the students living in Forest Hall, but he’ll also oversee the building’s RAs.
“It’s a really rewarding experience, because you see the students when they first come and you get to see them grow over the year,” Ekeji says. It also means he gets his own room at Forest Hall, a three-floor building tucked next to Babson’s public safety building at the east end of campus.
“This a whole new experience for them,” Ekeji says of the new students. “I get to share it with them and help as much as I can.”
Here is a look at the emotion-packed stories of move-in day, as students from the Class of 2028 and their families arrived on campus last week:
People Look Out for Each Other
Babson’s close-knit sense of community is helping to calm the nerves of Apurva Desai, who stands outside the family car with daughter, Akshara Desai ’28, as they wait for a cart to move Akashara in to Forest Hall.
“Being from India, we are considered a bit conservative. We like the fact that it is a secure neighborhood where students are very safe, and it’s a small school where everybody will be knowing everyone,” Apruva says. “That is how it works in India. It’s an open-door policy, and people look out for each other.”
Babson’s appeal goes beyond simple safety for Apruva.
“We’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about Babson,” he says. “They really train a child to stand on their own two feet and pave a correct way for themselves,”
His daughter, Akashara, has been away from her Mumbai home before. She has been attending a boarding school in Chicago for the last two years. Still, she’s nervous.
“As soon as I woke up this morning, I had butterflies in my stomach,” she says. “But, I’m also excited.”
Another Farewell
Arriving at his new room in Park Manor West before his roommate, Samuel Puhachevsky ’28 has the privilege of picking which bed is his first. He goes with the one to the left of the window, which looks out on College Drive. “I sleep on my left side, and I like to look out the window,” says Samuel, a resident of Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania. “I have a good view.”
Samuel’s room is full not only of stuff to be unpacked but also his entire family: mom Irene, dad Leon, and sisters Abbie and Sophia. Taking in the scene, Samuel feels relaxed. His mother’s feelings, however, are more complicated. “I have very mixed emotions,” Irene Gold says. “I am happy but sad.”
Standing in her son’s room, she flashes back to another time and place, to a similar moment of change and farewell. In 1999, when she was 21, Irene, her parents, and her brother were preparing to leave Ukraine for the U.S.
Irene remembers the days before their departure. She remembers the celebrations and goodbyes, how she gathered with family and friends, how she felt surrounded by those who cared about her.
She also remembers going to the airport, how the reality of their leaving sunk in, how they would soon be leaving everyone behind. “I remember that feeling,” she says. “I wanted to give myself a hug.”
In her son’s room, she can’t help but think of those times and how, even though her family is all together now, they will soon depart with one less. “This is it,” she says.
The Time Is Right
Many parents struggle to describe the potent mix of hope, anxiety, sadness, and pride they feel on move-in day. Tawanna Johnson, who is helping her daughter, Rebecca ’28, move from Rhode Island, is not one of them.
“Oh, I’m a mess. I’m an absolute mess,” Tawanna says with a short laugh. “I’ve been crying randomly. But I know she’s going to do so well here.”
Tawanna is folding up some empty cardboard boxes as she helps Rebecca move in to her double room on the second floor of Forest Hall.
Rebecca is already bonding with her roommate, Delfin Güllüoğlu ’28, who took a nine-hour flight from Istanbul with her mother, Selin, to be here. For Delfin, Babson was an obvious choice.
“You may not know this, but Babson is really, really famous in Turkey. There are a lot of Turkish people here,” Delfin says, adding that several students from her high school are also attending Babson.
Even though her daughter will be nearly 5,000 miles away, Selin feels the time is right for Delfin to be out on her own.
“I was 18 when I left home, so I think it will be great for her,” Selin said. “She’s really excited, and I’m excited for her.”
The Box from Ikea
On the second floor of Park Manor West, dad Brad Wellington stands in the hallway with a box from Ikea. “I’m trying to figure out where to build this,” he says.
The box isn’t too big, and it doesn’t include an intimidating number of pieces, but still, the small dresser it contains needs to be assembled. Wellington couldn’t build it earlier because the dresser wouldn’t have fit in the car. “Hopefully, I can build it really quick,” he says.
Opening the box, he spreads the directions and furniture pieces on the floor outside his daughter’s room. Looking at everything laid out before him, he says, “OK,” and gets to work.
Inside the room, Maia Wellington ’28 and her mom, Shayna Wellington, are nearly finished unpacking after only about 20 minutes. Shayna credits that quickness to their strategy of using bags instead of boxes to pack up Maia’s belongings. “This has been an easy move in,” she says. “Packing bags are the way to go.”
Maia was lucky to score a corner room, which comes with plenty of natural light and windows that look out on Park Manor Quad. When asked what she is looking forward to at Babson, she can’t choose. Her life now brims with possibilities. “It’s all new,” says the resident of Brooklyn, New York. “There is nothing I’m not looking forward to.”
A Door Opens
In Park Manor West, a small group gathers outside Room 320. As Amanda Andrade ’28 slips the key into the lock of her room for the first time, her mother, who is wearing a “Babson Mom” T-shirt, films the moment.
The door unlocks and opens, and Amanda’s mom and dad, along with the student volunteers who have helped move her stuff, all begin to clap. Amanda is officially in her new home.
Amanda hails from Sao Paulo. Her mother, Luciana Andrade, also traveled abroad for college, and she remembers the thrill of those years. Still, this moment feels much different, to be on the other side, watching as her “baby” is the one to set off for new adventures. “I’m feeling super proud and excited,” Luciana says. “This was her dream school.”
What inspired Amanda about Babson was the entrepreneurship program. She applied to the College early decision. “I like to be creative,” she says. “I like problem solving. I like creating my own thing.”
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