New students moved into their new dormitories across campus during UK’s annual Big Blue Move-in.
From August 18-21, transfer students and freshmen, with the help of family members and the Wildcat Welcome team, moved into their new homes for the next nine months.
According to Wildcat Welcome team member Dan Bell, the Wildcat Welcome team helped families unload their cars and load their belongings onto carts and tables to keep traffic flowing.
“It’s really quite exciting to see different things and everyone has different feelings about it,” Bell said.
He said he saw some families who were sad and couldn’t bear to see their loved ones move on to the next stage of life, but overall it was a good experience.
The sidewalks outside the dorms were crowded with arriving freshmen and their parents pushing their big blue carts to the nearest elevator to begin setting up their new rooms.
Mya Jones, a prospective agricultural and natural sciences student, and her mother Leslie Jones said it was “bittersweet” to move away to study after staying at home had been the norm for Mya for so long.
Nervousness set in as the last bags were taken to their rooms and the cars were returned to the Wildcat Welcome team.
Incoming freshman communications major Ryan Tattersall said he is nervous about starting college hours away from his hometown in eastern Pennsylvania, but is excited to explore Kentucky and see what UK has to offer.
“This is where my journey into my new life begins,” said Tattersall. “You never know what these places will bring you. It will certainly be exciting, but also hard.”
Forrest Flannery, another member of the Wildcat Welcome team, said that while it’s a lot to take in when you’re away from home for an extended period of time for the first time, most students seem to settle into campus pretty well.
“It doesn’t really feel real. You’re here and it’s like this is our place, we actually live here. It’s crazy,” said Gus Kelly, a freshman studying education and social sciences.
Kelly was surprised by the freedom of college, but is confident he will make Lexington, Kentucky his own home.
“You feel very comfortable very quickly,” Kelly said. “It doesn’t necessarily feel like home, but you can tell it will and you know you’re in good hands.”
