Stanislaus State welcomes largest freshman class ever

TURLOCK, Calif. — The largest class in Stanislaus State history moved into the dorms in Turlock on Sunday.

The 700 students who moved in make up more than 1,600 total students in the new freshman class.

“It’s like nerve-wracking, exciting. It’s a little sad, obviously, because I’m leaving my parents, but I mean it has to happen sometime,” said incoming freshman Julie Gonzalez.

Packed up with bedding, laundry detergent, TVs and snacks, Gonzalez is one of about 700 students starting a new chapter in life on Sunday.

“Mainly just the experience, overall the college experience, being able to basically be on my own and being able to make decisions as an adult, which is kind of scary,” she said.

READ ALSO: Donate backpacks, school supplies to these back-to-school drives in San Joaquin, Stanislaus Counties

She’s moving from Tracy to study biology, following in her sister’s footsteps, who’s a junior at Stanislaus State. Now her parents are “empty nesters.”

“It’s a mix of emotion, a lot of excitement, very happy that they are going into a new year of school, but also kind of sad because she’s the last one. So, we’re kind of empty nesters, as they say,” Julie’s father, Luis Gonzalez, said.

As he was dropping his girls off, Luis said this day has been a long time coming.

“It’s an achievement because we’ve been looking for this since pretty much I take them from kindergarten. We see them as a professional one day and getting them to a university is getting them closer to that goal. So to me, it’s probably the most important step towards that goal,” he said.

READ ALSO: Stanislaus State preparing to close their library for a $58M facelift

The students you see moving in with a little help from almost 100 on-campus volunteers make up a little less than 20 percent of the total freshman incoming class of more than 1,600 students, a new record for Stanislaus State.

“I think that it speaks to the quality of our program and the quality of our professors, and the hometown spirit and feeling we have as a campus, I think that people want to come to Stanislaus in the fact that we’re unique, in that as evidence today,” Jennifer Humphrey, Director of Housing and Residential Life at Stanislaus State said.

Humphrey says almost 80 percent of this incoming freshman class reported being first generation, meaning they will be the first in their families to earn a four-year degree.

“Really it’s about having our students feel welcome in our community, for us it is more than just the physical act of move-in, it is welcoming you to a home away from home, it’s understanding that so many of our students are first generation students, they’re the first in their families so we’re not only welcoming them today, we’re also welcoming their families,” she said.

Continue the conversation with Lena on Facebook.

WATCH ALSO: Stanislaus State celebrates largest class of grads