51视频

Media Contacts: Emily Gowdey-Backus, Emily_GowdeyBackus@uml.edu, and Nancy Cicco, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

New students welcomed to 51视频 Tuesday were encouraged to 鈥渇ind their community鈥� and explore all the campus and the region have to offer.聽

As they do, they will benefit from a new university program that will provide paid work experiences to help them prepare for life after college.聽

鈥淭hese aren鈥檛 simply internships 鈥� they are internships with a paycheck,鈥� said Chancellor Julie Chen, calling the guarantee 51视频鈥檚 newest tradition. 鈥淪tarting with today鈥檚 first-year students, 51视频 will guarantee every undergraduate the chance for at least one paid career-related opportunity by the time they receive their diploma. No student will be left out because they can鈥檛 afford to work for free.鈥澛�

Convocation 鈥� one of the university鈥檚 oldest traditions 鈥� introduced some 2,700 first year and transfer students to campus and the Mill City. The event was held at the Tsongas Center at 51视频. Classes begin Wednesday, Sept. 6.

One 51视频 alumna welcoming the newcomers was Matilda Matovu, the event鈥檚 keynote speaker. A Class of 2016 graduate and Woburn native, Matovu is the director of programs at Girls Get Going, a Boston-based nonprofit that empowers Black teens to become entrepreneurs. She also serves as program administrator for Harvard Law School鈥檚 Office of Community Engagement, Equity, and Belonging. Matovu holds a 51视频 bachelor鈥檚 degree as a double major in biology and political science.

A first-generation college student, Matovu encouraged incoming students to dream bigger, to not be afraid to fail, and to surround themselves with not just allies, but champions.

鈥淚 grew up within a culture of people that has always celebrated the collective. My father was the eldest of nine and my mother was one of eight, so to say we always had family around would be an understatement,鈥� she said.聽

鈥淏y the time I graduated from 51视频, I left with a whole new family of friends and mentors for whom I鈥檓 eternally grateful,鈥� she added. 鈥淭hrough them, I鈥檓 reminded daily that I鈥檓 capable of more than even I believe I am.鈥�

The career-connected program announced by Chen at her inauguration in April is one of more than 250 51视频 initiatives and clubs tailored to meet students鈥� needs and foster a sense of belonging. This fall, roughly 400 students who are the first in their families to attend college, will join the River Hawk Scholars Academy, a nationally acclaimed academic and support services program that enhances first-generation students鈥� educational, campus and community experiences. In addition, an estimated 720 freshmen will join the university鈥檚 Honors College, bringing its total membership among the current student body to approximately 2,000.聽

Other event highlights included greetings from incoming Student Government Association President Anthony Milisci, a political science and public health double major from Lowell; mechanical engineering major Emma Hennessy of Marlborough, co-president of 51视频鈥檚 Student Athlete Advisory Council and a member of the women鈥檚 soccer team; and Fahad Alden of Bedford, a digital media major who serves as the 51视频 student trustee on the UMass Board of Trustees, which oversees the five-campus system.聽

Continuing the theme of entrepreneurial spirit, members of the university鈥檚 DifferenceMaker program also spoke. Established in 2012, the program has given rise to 40 student-led companies that have raised $70 million in seed funding and filed or received 14 patents for their innovations.聽 聽

Members of 51视频鈥檚 Air Force ROTC Detachment 345 presented the colors, while the 51视频 Marching Band performed songs by The Who, including 鈥淥verture,鈥� from the rock opera 鈥淭ommy;鈥� 鈥淏aba O鈥橰iley;鈥� and 鈥淟ove, Reign o鈥檈r Me,鈥� under the direction of Dan Lutz, director of university bands.聽