Connections: It’s in the name

To the Aggie family, connection is key. It’s ingrained in every aspect of Utah State University’s culture. In the activities, in the goal of education as a way of helping students relate to their area of study, in the mantra “no one left behind” and the commitment to welcome every student.

But nowhere is the importance of connecting more apparent than during Connections Week. During Connections, new students are given the unique opportunity to form relationships with their peers and the Utah State community before the semester starts.

According to Clara Alder, a member of the A-Team and a Connections peer mentor, there are three purposes of Connections: becoming familiar with campus, accessing resources and connecting with the university.

Peer mentors work hard to achieve these objectives by meeting with professors, developing a clear schedule and attending an intensive training before Connections starts.

“Throughout the summer, the peer mentors meet frequently with their professors and we plan out what our goals are for our class, what are some of the things that we want our students to gain from the class and then we also figure out some of the fun activities we want to happen,” Alder said.

This year, incoming students attended seven hour-long in-person class sessions Wednesday through Friday. Throughout the week, students also had the option to participate in activities such as Taste of Logan (a self-guided tour of downtown featuring an array of free food, coupons and a mechanical bull), a scavenger hunt at the art museum and a comedian-magician show.

Connections Week culminated Friday night with the luminary where students, in a procession opposite to the graduating class’ commencement ceremony, flooded the quad to light the sky in the shape of an A.

This last activity, symbolic to the week’s theme, demonstrated what connections — and Utah State — is all about: coming together, despite differences, in the shared pride of being Aggies.

Kennedy Bradford, an incoming freshman from Florida, said Connections “helped me understand the intricacies of Logan campus. And it’s not just my buildings or my classes, but it’s this whole place with so many different people.”

To Bradford, Connections Week was important because it helped her meet a variety of different people and get to know campus in a way she wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. In this way, she was able to connect, not only to her area of study, but to the whole Utah State University campus and experience.

Now that Connections is over, new students may be wondering what’s next. How should they utilize the skills they’ve learned and continue to develop the connections they’ve formed with campus?

“My advice for incoming students and for freshmen who have just finished Connections is to keep being curious,” Alder said. “Be curious about making more friends. Be curious about places on campus and resources and then also remember the people and the things that you have learned.”

Getting involved in the college experience is an ongoing process. Connections provides the foundation for a successful college career, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s still so much to do, learn and connect with at Utah State University.