On Aug. 25 and 26, Newman welcomed more than 200 new students to campus for Jet Days. New student move-in and orientation, known as Jet Days, involved more than 40 volunteers and included entertainment, food and fun.
Move-in day on college campuses around the world is an emotional day. Parents are eager for their student to make friends and do well, some may even want to camp out in the student’s dorm room for a few days to help. Some parents are just thrilled to get their last kid out of the house! With so many unknowns in the near future, students are anxious and excited for the journey they are about to embark upon.
Admissions Counselor Angel Moore is one of many counselors working with students at Newman University. Once students have unpacked, endured orientation and said goodbye to their parents, she acts as a familiar mentor for them on campus. She is someone they know and trust and someone who wants them to succeed more than anything.
Moore began building relationships with potential students for the 2017-2018 academic year in August 2016. She hasn’t gone more than a month without checking in on her students and she may be the reason many of them chose Newman.
The admissions team is there for students from the very beginning of their journey. Moore explained, “As an admissions counselor, I help prospective students navigate through their college search while also helping them discover if Newman will be a great fit for them. During this process, I have the pleasure of educating them on what makes Newman unique such as our academic programs, heritage and student life to help them determine academic and social fit.”
Newman welcomed more than 200 freshman this year thanks to Moore and the admissions team. She recruited 14 students from Wichita’s North High School alone and reached as far as the Bronx in New York City for another student.
Move-in day emotions are not strictly for students or parents. Moore said Jet Days was the highlight of her recruiting season and that she felt overjoyed to see her students moving onto campus. There was excitement in her voice when she welcomed them at registration. Many hugs were given and a sense of accomplishment surrounded her.
Daisy Garcia, a nursing major from Wichita East High School, is one of the students Moore recruited. She is grateful for the help and support Moore provided throughout the year.
“She was very friendly and welcoming,” said Garcia. “More than any other recruiter I met with. She helped me a lot through the process and was there for me every step of the way since I am the first in my family to go to college.”
Garcia is a perfect fit for Newman, extremely driven, hard-working, goal-oriented, kind and responsible. She was selected for nursing direct admit and is an ASC (Adorers of the Blood of Christ) Community Leader Scholar. “Daisy (Garcia) will contribute greatly to every person she comes into contact with at Newman and later on as a Newman nursing graduate in the community,” said Moore.
Alejandra Ordonez-Blanco is another Moore recruit. A Wichita North High graduate, she will study pre-medicine at Newman. Moore said, “I am confident that she will accomplish everything she sets her mind on.”
The two met at a career fair shortly after Ordonez-Blanco applied to Newman. Moore said she was excited to speak with her and they ended up being the last two people to leave the fair.
Moore enjoys developing relationships with students and said, ”I love that I get to make a difference in their lives by simply being there for them through each step and listening to their goals.” She said she is anxious to see each and every one of them succeed at Newman.
Although Moore’s job is focused on recruiting new students, she plans to keep an open line of communication with her students during their time at Newman. “I am looking forward to hearing about their experiences and watching them become involved in the many activities on campus,” she said “Once they are officially settled in they can come by my office anytime!”
Watching her student’s move in and start their Newman journey only inspired Moore to do even better next year. “I’m very competitive,” she said. “I feel like I just need to go back out there and do everything I did this time but 12 times over.”
