Brandeis Stories

Diving right in: Class of 2029 arrives at Brandeis

A student checks in on move-in day.
First-year student Zanae W. ’29 checks in during Move-in Day.

By Julian Cardillo ’14
Photography by Gaelen Morse
August 25, 2025

With a picture-perfect sunny sky overhead, the Class of 2029 moved into residence halls, met roommates and started making Brandeis their new home as campus sprang to life for Move-in Day and New Student Orientation.

The Massell and North residence quads were hubs of activity. With the speed, precision and attentiveness of a Formula 1 pit crew, Community Advisors and Orientation Leaders helped eager newcomers and their families unpack cars, carry suitcases up steps and settle into rooms.

An orientation leader lifts boxes out of the trunk of a car.
Orientation leader Daniyal N. ’28 helps move first-year students into residence halls.
A student and father are greeted in their car by a Brandeis staff member.
First-year student Caden C. ’29 and his father are welcomed to campus by Brandeis staff.
Orientation leader Ani Poghosyan ’26 directs first year students and their families.
Orientation leader Ani P. ’26 directs first-year students and their families as they arrive on campus.
First-year student Emre B. ’29 speaks to Brandeis alum Sidney Levinson.
Brandeis alumi Sidney L. ’85 welcomes first-year student Emre B. ’29 to Brandeis.

Volunteers and staff kept the move-in process running smoothly from start to finish. Team members from Community Living and Public Safety directed traffic, guiding cars into residence hall lots. Alumni from across the decades — some even with their dogs — strolled up to car windows to offer students and families warm welcomes. New arrivals picked up keys and Brandeis swag bags stocked with T-shirts and water bottles, all to the soundtrack of pop music and sunshine breaking through puffy, scattered clouds.

Brandeis welcomed 820 new students to campus; 766 are first-years and 54 are transfers. The mosaic of license plates in the parking lots, as well as the bag tags on suitcases leaning against corridor walls, tells the story of the newest Brandeisians: They come from 36 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia; 12% are non-U.S. citizens and represent 33 countries; 21% are first-generation college students.

Mia Deck ’29, from Orange County, California, is among those who traveled the farthest. She unpacked her belongings with help from her parents in her first-floor room in the Renfield Residence Hall.

Two students make a bed in their dorm room.
Mia D. ’29 and Camila S. ’29

“It’s definitely been interesting moving cross-country,” she said. “It’s a little scary, but it’s fun to be in a different place. I’m hoping to meet new people and make a lot of friends. I’m looking forward to making good memories here.”

Deck’s roommate, Camila Sosa ’29, is from New York City. While Sosa’s trip to campus was shorter, it did require her to wake up early in the morning.

“We woke up at 5 a.m. to drive all the way here,” Sosa said. “But the move has been pretty seamless. It’s been so easy because everyone has been so helpful and nice.”

While Sosa visited campus during the application process, she feels different now that she’s on campus as a student.

“I’m starting to realize this is my home for the next four years and I’m really excited about that,” Sosa said. “I’ve been talking to people online, trying to make connections, but now I’m looking forward to putting names to faces.”

Asher White ’29, recruited to play guard for the Judges basketball team, moved into his room on the second floor of Deroy. He and his family drove 10 hours from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and visited Boston for some sight-seeing prior to Move-in Day.

Asher White carries two large bags on campus.
Asher W. ’29

“I like the campus a lot, and Massell quad is very nice,” White said. “I’m looking forward to meeting new people, and then next week meeting my new teammates for the first time.”

Orientation leaders — known as OLs — will guide first-year students through the weeklong program, which runs until fall classes begin on Wednesday, Aug. 27. This year’s theme, “Dive Right In,” is fitting given the packed schedule of events and activities spanning academics, health and wellness, extracurricular life and student clubs.

More than 50 OLs were on hand to help new students navigate the start of their Brandeis journeys.

Three orientation leaders sit on the grass outside on campus.
Orientation leaders Daniyal N. ’28, Zumra H. ’26 and move-in crew member Ella Z. ’26

“I had a great experience at my Orientation, so this is my way of giving back to the community,” said Zumra Hassan ’26, an OL from Brooklyn, New York majoring in business. “I think being a friendly face and supporting new families when they arrive and move in is really important. It’s a little moment that can make a big difference.”

Daniyal Nabi ’28, an OL from Lahore, Pakistan majoring in Health: Science, Society and Policy, is encouraging first-years to take the orientation theme to heart.

“I loved my first year exploring campus and wanted to share that with the incoming class — to show everything Brandeis has to offer,” Nabi said. “To me, diving right in means making the most of your time here. It’s such an exciting chapter of life. Dive in headfirst, be curious and enjoy every day and every experience as much as you can.”