On busy move-in day, the Class of 2021 settles into Yard dorms
Harvard Yard awoke again Tuesday morning after its annual summer slumber, as the Class of 2021 officially arrived on campus.
As Harvard President Drew Faust, Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael D. Smith, Danoff Dean of Harvard College Rakesh Khurana, and Dean of Freshmen Thomas Dingman walked around the Yard to greet the newcomers and their families, students carried cartons, pulled suitcases, and lugged small appliances into dorm rooms. Teams of peer advisors and College staff were quick to provide assistance.
Thanks to a record high yield, more than 1,600 students make up the latest class. Nearly half of its members are female. Geographical origins are much the same as last year, but the Class of 2021 is more economically diverse than last year’s freshmen. Nearly 24 percent qualified for the low-income portion of the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative; more than 19 percent requested application fee waivers; 17 percent are eligible for Pell grants; and 15 percent are first-generation college students.
Early on move-in day, Jessika Nebrat ’18 gathers balloons to mark the freshmen residences in Harvard Yard. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Carrying her cello across the Yard, Danielle Davis ’21 arrives to collect her key. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Freshmen line up at the key-distribution tent. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Case Mckinley ’21 (from left) meets with Nayiri Ayanian ’18, proctor Jon Rossi, and freshman adviser Rachel Brown in front of Weld Hall. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Freshmen Jude Tochukwu Okonkwo (left) and Destana Herring stand at the front of the line for their keys. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer President Faust (from left) and Dean of Freshmen Tom Dingman meet with students and families, including Ruva Chigwedere ’21 and her mother Lorine, from Florham Park, N.J., in front of Canaday Hall. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Family members Patricia (from left), Allyson, and Elias help Gabriela Ochoa ’21, from Whitehall, Penn., as they meet Gabriela’s roommate Reeda Iqbal ’21 from Bayshore, N.Y., in front of Thayer Hall. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Fernando Young ’21 has help from his dad, Chris, moving into his Stoughton Hall room from Nantucket. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer Vanessa Roser ’21 (left), from Merion Station, Pa., carries boxes up to her new room. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana greets students. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer President Faust greets University Police Officer Jim Melia in the Yard. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Dasha Bough ’21 (center) with her parents, Loren and Jill, are pictured in the Yard. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Transporting recycling bins is a balancing act. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer Esme Benson (left) and her mother, Michele Polacsek of Portland, Maine, talk with Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael D. Smith. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer Sarah Rodriguez ’21 gets help making her bed from her mother, Debbie Rodriguez. They traveled from their home in Rhinebeck, N.Y. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer Jeff and Ling Li watch as their daughter, Katelyn ’21, says goodbye to the friends she made hiking in the woods with the Freshman Outdoors Program. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer Yena Cho ’20 (center) helps direct families to the residence halls in the Yard. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Leah Smart (right) has help from her mother, Dee, to move into Straus Hall from their home in Charlotte, N.C. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer Eight-year-old Tomas Young pulls into Harvard Yard in the family car with his brother, incoming freshman Fernando Young. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer
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