Last night was Atlanta’s Let’s Go Emory! party at Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint. This party is thrown for incoming freshmen, current students, and alumni—to talk and learn about Emory, meet new people, and for this particular event, feast on delicious pizza. YUM!

Upon arrival, I immediately was surrounded by smiling faces, despite the late-afternoon heat. Incoming freshman slapped on their nametags and were already discussing dorm room plans, class schedules, and move-in dates. One of my jobs--other than mingling with a portion of Emory’s stellar student body-- was snapping photos of people at the event.

I felt a wave of nostalgia for the beginning of college when I captured the excitement of the incoming freshmen in the photos. The students were ecstatic and more than ready to start a new chapter in life at Emory.

After being mistaken for an incoming Emory student several times (hey… I’m not complaining if I look four years younger than I really am!) and meeting a lot of new people, I sat down with some of my colleagues from the Emory Alumni Association (EAA) and a few others to enjoy pizza and each other’s company.

They are all Emory alumni, so it was quite entertaining to hear crazy stories about things such as “The Girl We Graduated With Who Is Sweet But Has A Foul Mouth” or “The Guy Who ALWAYS Reveals Too Much Information.” By just experiencing the laughter and happiness, I knew these alums genuinely enjoyed their experiences at Emory (cheesy, but true!).

To all the incoming Emory freshmen—You have a lot to look forward to!

Check out the photos on the EAA’s Facebook fan page.

--Farah Shackelford, communications intern, EAA