Show-Me State Times

Saint Louis University welcomed its newest students at the annual New Student Convocation and Family Welcome, held Saturday at Chaifetz Arena. The event is designed to help incoming students develop a sense of community as they begin their time at SLU.

Grace LoPiccolo, president of the Student Government Association and a senior at SLU, addressed the new class. “It is good that you’re here,” she said. “Not just because you got into SLU or found your seat in this auditorium, but because you belong here. Just as you are.”

LoPiccolo encouraged students to take part in campus life and to treat SLU like home. “One thing I’ve learned over the past three years is this – if you treat this place like your home, it will start to feel like one,” she said. “That doesn’t mean it happens overnight. But showing up, trying things, saying yes, talking to someone new — that’s how it starts. Go to that first club meeting. Sit next to someone you don’t know. Show up to class, even the optional ones. You’ll be surprised how quickly things start to click.”

She shared her own experience of changing academic plans after arriving at SLU and encouraged others not to worry about having everything figured out from the beginning. “If you’re sitting there wondering if you’re doing this whole college thing right — let me let you in on a little secret: None of us has it figured out. We’re all just doing our best — but we are doing it together,” she said.

This year’s convocation also marked the first for Edward Feser, Ph.D., who recently became SLU’s 34th president. Feser spoke about his own feelings as a newcomer and described his first-day mishaps with humor: “If the university president can mess up and experience some bad luck, you have no worries,” he said.

Feser related his background and journey through higher education with the students’ experiences: “We might share some of the same worries,” he said. “Will I make new friends? How is the food? Where is the food? Will I be successful here? Will I make my family proud?” He added: “Most of us have no idea what our dream is...I’m here to tell you that dreams aren't found. Dreams are what happen on the journey … and you came to the right place to live your journey.”

Christina Garcia, Ph.D., associate professor of Spanish in SLU’s College of Arts and Sciences, also addressed attendees with advice based on her years at SLU. She emphasized vulnerability as essential for growth and highlighted qualities she observed among successful students—curiosity and care for their peers.

“SLU students show up for each other in small and big ways and are not afraid to ask for help,” Garcia said. “I have seen students going out of their way to check on classmates when they are not in class, dropping everything to help a friend when they are in crisis, and writing staff and faculty thoughtful notes and emails just because. Inside and outside of the classroom, students listen to each other with the utmost sincerity and respect, taking time to understand viewpoints that may differ from their own. SLU students recognize that asking for help builds community and allows others the space to ask for help.”

Other speakers included additional members of faculty, staff, and student leaders who briefly described how they serve a higher purpose within both university life and broader society.

Convocation serves as an opening ceremony marking the start of each student’s academic career at Saint Louis University; commencement ceremonies held later will mark its conclusion.