Monmouth College welcomes new students into their 'Monmouth Era'

'Your new community has some great characteristics and values,' President Draves tells first group of new students in her Monmouth presidency.

by Barry McNamara

MONMOUTH, Ill. (08/19/2024) — Through applications, campus visits and registering for fall semester courses, students in the Class of 2028 and transfer students had already indicated their interest in attending Monmouth College.

But Saturday afternoon's matriculation ceremony took that interest to another level or, as President Patricia Draves said to the class in her first major campus address, "We welcome you officially into this learning community."

Two of her fellow administrators, Dean of the Faculty Mark Willhardt and Vice President for Enrollment Management Stephanie Levenson, touched on that sentiment. Willhardt called Monmouth "a worldwide scholarly community," while Levenson provided a reference most 18-year-olds understand.

"Make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it, you've got no reason to be afraid," she said, using a lyric from the song "You're on Your Own, Kid" by Taylor Swift. "But, you are NOT on your own kid here. You are in your Monmouth Era."

Carina Engst '26 of Bloomington, Illinois, the president of Scots Student Senate, could also relate.

"Two years ago, I stood where you are today, anxiously anticipating what the next few years would look like," she said. "However, standing here today, I am able to confidently say that the opportunities I have encountered at Monmouth College have enriched my life in ways I never could have imagined."

Engst told the new students that the quality of their experience "will ultimately be shaped by your own effort and decisions. The outcomes you achieve are proportional to the commitment and risks you take. Meet new people, pursue new interests and, most importantly, have fun."

Five things to know

While giving her first matriculation address at Monmouth, Draves, who began her Monmouth presidency in July, stressed five points to the new students.

First among those was, "We take the mission of this place seriously," a mission she said can be simplified to "It's all about you." She also told the students, "Your new community has some great characteristics and values," including curiosity and connectedness.

In welcoming the students, Draves advised them "to bring your authentic self," and she noted that the experience wouldn't always be easy. "Being uncomfortable is part of your growth as a person. It's okay to be uncomfortable."

Finally, she stressed the students were joining "an on-going and expansive community -- the Monmouth College community," with students dating back to 1853, and with a supporting network of more than 20,000 living alumni.

A-B-C, it's easy as 1-2-3

Earlier in the day, the mid-morning sights and sounds of campus included 123 football players whoopin' and hollerin' on the brand-new turf at April Zorn Memorial Stadium, as a team in black jerseys battled a red-clad unit, while music blared from the loudspeakers.

Just to the east, more than a dozen cars were lined up along Ninth Street as students who weren't already on campus for a fall sport, SOFIA, a residence life assignment or another campus commitment moved into their dorms.

Down the hill, the Monmouth College Bookstore was open for business, with students and their parents in need of "Inquiry & Identity" readings and other textbooks, as well as Monmouth swag. Bookstore manager Stone Stomberg reported a steady stream of traffic, with an anticipated rush in the afternoon hours between lunch and matriculation.

"I&I" provides a transition into the Monmouth College learning community, valuing the spirit of inquiry in pursuit of academic excellence. The new students will meet with their I&I professors for the first time on Monday, with the rest of the fall semester classes beginning Wednesday.

In all, between incoming freshmen and transfers, 235 new students matriculated Saturday. They've come to Monmouth from 19 states and four foreign countries. Popular areas of study for the Class of 2028 are business, exercise science, elementary education and psychology, along with many who are still undecided as their college experience begins.

A mnemonic device for remembering the most popular names of the incoming students is ABC, short for Aiden, Brooklyn and Cam. Aiden Earley of Annawan, Cameron Smith of Bloomington and Aiden Weaver of Tuscola are part of both the ABC and the 123 football players, in addition to the 71% of the class that comes from Illinois and the 56% male contingent. Freshman Aiden Orta of Spring Hill, Florida, is one of 30 players from the Sunshine State on coach Chad Braun's squad.

Hello, Mota

Eleven years ago, Veronica Mota and her husband helped move their daughter, Viviana Mota '17, onto Monmouth's campus to begin her freshman year. The next year, Joel Mota '18 embarked on his four-year journey.

On Saturday, Veronica and her husband had a third child, Joseph Mota '28, matriculate, making him part of the 14% of the class that is a legacy student, as well as the 37% that are first-generation college students. Another daughter, Victoria, currently a sophomore at Chicago's George Washington High School, has plans to continue the family tradition.

At the close of the matriculation ceremony, members of the Class of 2028 first recited and then signed the "Monmouth College Pledge," which symbolized their induction into the Monmouth College community.

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