The Jingyao Residence Hall bustled with activity on Sunday, August 23 as more than 500 students from 42 countries and regions rolled their suitcases into their new dorm rooms on Move-In Day. 32 Residents Assistants and 41 Orientation Ambassadors (along with a friendly cat) were there to help the new students and their families find their way and acclimate to their new environment.
Resident Assistant Rosette Miria Alaba ’29, from Uganda, smiled and handed out water and cookies to the students and their families to fuel a day of unpacking. “It's also always nice to be able to help people and their parents,” she said, adding that she enjoyed surprising many of the Chinese incoming students and their families by greeting them in Chinese.
Orientation Ambassador Alina Subanbaeva ’29, from Kyrgyzstan, was also on site to help new students find their way as they picked up their new ID cards and looked for their new roommates. Just a year ago, she was moving in as a first year student, she recalled, and it was rewarding, she said, to be able to pay it forward.
“Now serving as a guide for students I see how much work is put into making incoming first years feel welcomed,” she said. “I am really grateful that I was able to become a part of their journey.”
No matter whether they traveled from across town or from thousands of miles away, the new students brought along memories of home. Azat Izbassarov, from Uralsk, Kazakhstan, brought chocolates from his hometown and his basketball shoes, which he said remind him of places he’s been and the people he’s met. “I might try out for the basketball team,” he said. “I’m looking forward to meeting new people, keep studying, and improve myself in every sphere that is possible.”
Li Youyou, from Beijing, brought along her violin, in the hopes of joining NYU Shanghai’s orchestra. “I really wanted something that offered a diverse, liberal arts-oriented education, and that’s how I found NYU Shanghai,” she said. “I really like the fact that, as a first-year student, you get some time to explore different fields before choosing your major, instead of having to commit to one right away.”
Shi Jinghan, from Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, brought along a support entourage, his whole extended family, all ten of them. “Everyone was really excited about the day, so they all showed up,” he said. Shi chose NYU Shanghai for its inclusivity and that “students here come from all over the world,” he said. “I’m pretty excited about the idea of meeting people from so many different backgrounds.”
Naiell Yared, from Ethiopia, brought a lot of pictures from home and beso, a barley flour used to make a traditional Ethiopian drink with milk and honey. She and her parents toured Shanghai before arriving at Move-In Day. “I love the city so far,” she said. “It’s very grand, the buildings are big, the roads are big, everyone is busy,” she said, adding she hopes to explore the city more.
Sultan Fahad brought along a soccer jersey from his home team in Dubai, UAE. He plans to major in business and finance or economics, and is looking forward to learning Chinese as well. An avid athlete, he enjoys martial arts and hopes to start a wrestling club.
“I came here because I like the city of Shanghai and there are many different majors and courses that aren’t available at NYU Abu Dhabi but are available here,” he said.
His mother and father came along to help settle him in. “We encouraged him to join the Shanghai campus,” his father said. “We wanted him to meet new people from different cultures. We did the research and found it was more international here,” his father said.
“I’m excited for him to become more independent and learn the new culture. The US and China—they are the center of the economy worldwide, so since he’s studying economics, I wanted him to be in the center of China, in Shanghai.”
NYU Shanghai parent Mateo Clough, from the United States, there dropping off his daughters, Sydney and Trinity Clough, expressed well wishes for all the incoming students. “I hope they flourish, they grow, they develop new understanding about themselves and make lifelong connections.”
As Move-In Day came to a close, the members of the Class of 2030 prepared to start the next chapter of their lives, filled with new friends, new discoveries, and new possibilities at NYU Shanghai.