Caltech welcomes its new batch of students, scholars with annual Convocation ceremony

Study in US: There are welcome activities going on on the Caltech campus to make the new students comfortable on the campus and let them connect with each other.

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has welcomed its new cohort of students. The start of the academic year was marked by the annual convocation. The institute welcomed 99 postdoctoral scholars, 251 graduate students, and 221 undergraduate students.

The classes will begin on September 30, currently, welcome activities are going on. These activities started on September 18 so the international students get settled on the campus. These activities will continue even after the Convocation and there will be social events and orientation sessions for students to connect with each other.

President Rosenbaum commented, "Shattering boundaries is quintessential Caltech. It makes possible scientific exploits that seem impossible at first. None of this would be possible without our shared sense of wonder about the universe."

Elam, a fourth-year undergraduate studying environmental science and engineering said, "One of the most uniting themes I've observed at Caltech is a shared passion and grit. Where some see a challenge, we see an opportunity. We come together in collaboration and amass our individual sparks to fuel an inferno—we become an unstoppable force whose commitment to answering questions makes us the best problem solvers in the world."

Caltech convocation event details

The panellists discussed about the research trajectories and highlighted that they have shifted towards environmental science applications. They also advised the younger lot that it is important to maintain a broad intellectual curiosity and embrace failures.

The incoming students are also excited about the beginning of their journey at Caltech. After attending the Convocation ceremony, first-year undergraduate Stephanie Wallen from Miami, Florida said, "I'm excited and a little nervous too. But everyone here is super approachable and, especially because we share a lot of interests, it's really easy to start conversations with people."

Volleyball player Noelle Wilkinson, a first-year from Bentonville, Arkansas said, "It was inspiring listening to the faculty talk about their academic journeys. The fact that we are in such close-knit quarters with these brilliant people who are top leaders in their field is amazing. I'm so excited to start taking classes."

Wallen, who plans to study mechanical engineering and aerospace said, "I think there's a lot of stereotypes about STEM and how male dominated it is, and I kind of feared that, especially in engineering, I'd have to deal with that, but it's really reassuring to know that there is an equal balance of men and women, and I'll be around other people who understand me better."

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