Class of 2028 Officially Welcomed in Matriculation Ceremony
Assumption’s class of 2028 was officially welcomed to the University on August 23 in a Matriculation Ceremony in the Plourde Recreation Center.
The Matriculation Ceremony is held each year to formally enroll each first-year class and welcome them to the Assumption community. The class of 2028 was welcomed by a variety of speakers.
“Today, we formally welcome and recognize you as students who gladly learn from and teach each other within our educational community,” said Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Marc Guerra in his greeting to the class. “You’ve chosen to matriculate at a school where your education takes place and takes shape in a special and concentrated way. We’re glad you’ve joined us.”
After the invocation was given by Vice President for Mission Fr. Dennis Gallagher, Boffi officially welcomed the class of 2028 to the community as Assumption students, speaking of their resilience through their high school years.
“This is a class that started high school in the height of COVID and searched for college amidst a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) fiasco,” said Vice President for Enrollment Management Bill Boffi. “They found their way here to a place that values and celebrates the perseverance and grit that they have shown thus far and values and celebrates the potential they have to make Assumption University, and the world, a better place.”
Boffi also noted that the class of 2028 is the most racially and ethnically diverse in Assumption history, with more than 20 percent of students identifying as Hispanic or Latino and more than 13 percent identifying as Black or African American. The class is also geographically diverse, representing 14 states and eight countries.
“This beautiful racial and ethnic composition reflects the diversity of our greater community, and we are stronger for it. 100 percent of you belong here,” said Boffi. “Each of you is magnificent in your own right, and collectively, you make a magnificent mosaic of experiences, ideas, skills, and interests. You make us. You make us and our family bigger, stronger, and more diverse today than it was yesterday.”
President Greg Weiner then officially welcomed the class, giving advice and reassurance that each student could take with them through their next four years.
“In the days ahead, I want you to know this: if you don’t immediately understand what you’re learning, if it is a challenge you haven’t faced before, and you find it intimidating, you are doing it right,” said Weiner. “That’s what makes you a Greyhound, with the traits of character that make Greyhounds everywhere unique. One of those traits is humility, and ultimately, Greyhounds are defined by what you have, which is grit, and what you lack, which is entitlement.”
“No matter who you are, no matter what you know or have yet to learn, you belong at Assumption. You can succeed at Assumption, and if Assumption is doing it right, you will teach us every bit as much as we teach you,” Weiner continued.
Director of Campus Ministry, Deacon Paul Covino, gave a blessing to students and spoke to them about the journey that they will embark upon in the next four years.
“Pope Francis referred to students as pilgrims whose time in university involves setting out on a new path, moving away from their comfort zone toward new horizons of meaning,” said Covino. “At Assumption, we believe that your leave taking today is the first step on a pilgrimage that will form you in ways that will surprise, delight, and challenge you, and shape you into a person known for your intellectual seriousness, thoughtful citizenship, and devotion to the common good.”
Student Government Association President Sofia Bruno ’26 closed out the program by offering her own advice to first years and leading them in the recitation of the Honesty Pledge.
“I was terrified of what college was going to look like for me. I never would have anticipated what was to come after this ceremony concluded, and I grew to realize that was the point. If I was able to predict what my years at Assumption looked like, it would diminish the joy in experiencing it for myself,” said Bruno. “I encourage you all to not map out your next four years too much and embrace each day as it comes. Don’t be afraid to get involved in ways you never would have when you were in high school. This is your chance to reinvent yourself and be whoever you want to be.”