Exuberantly cheering as cars rolled up, Creighton’s student move-in ambassadors efficiently whisked away luggage and other belongings into assigned residence hall rooms, enthusiastically welcoming the Class of 2025 to their new University home.
Nothing remained for parents to do except park the car and walk their sons and daughters to their rooms. Concierge service at its best.
Friday and Saturday were move-in days for Creighton’s newest incoming freshmen – a culture-defining event in which several hundred current students, all dressed in Creighton blue, roll out the welcome mat and lift, carry, push and pull all manner of belongings from car to residential hall rooms. All while parents and families look on in amazement.
“I was prepared to lug things up and down stairs and wore appropriate clothing for that,” said Karyn Lemanczyk, who drove her daughter, Natalie, eight hours from Germantown, Wisconsin. “The kids have been very helpful, really it’s just seamless for parents who are feeling a little overwhelmed.”
Natalie, who will study physical therapy, is a member of the second-largest freshman class in Creighton University’s history. The class, with 1,130 students, trails only the freshman class that entered in 2018.
This year’s freshman class brings a median GPA of 3.9, with 36% ranking within the top 10% of their class in high school. Geographically, members of the class come to Creighton from more than 40 states. Nebraska leads the way with nearly 260 students. Other strongly represented areas include Denver, Kansas City and Minneapolis. More than 200 students traveled more than 1,000 miles.
Among the long-distance travelers was Charlotte Jung, who traveled, she said, 1,009 miles from her home in Atlanta, to study exercise science with the goal of earning a doctorate in physical therapy. Accompanied by her mother, Nicole, a graduate of Marquette University, and her father, Andy, Charlotte said she felt Creighton very much wanted her to become part of its family.
“As long as I keep good grades I can get my doctorate in six years,” she said. “It’s a hard program to get into and only a couple of Big East schools offer it, but out of those, I liked Creighton best because it just felt like home, and not too ‘campusy’ since it’s right here in the city.”
On the other end of the spectrum is Regan Peake, who was arranging her residence hall room with the help of her mother, Kim, and her father, Steve. A graduate of Omaha’s Marian High School and a resident of Elkhorn, Nebraska, Regan said she is looking forward to college life.
“I’m feeling excited to meet new people and start new classes, as well as experience some independence,” she said. “I’ll be studying nursing, which really interests me, and two of my best friends will be just down the hall from me.”
Creighton University’s momentum extends from Omaha to Phoenix. Nursing, pharmacy, occupational therapy and medical students began classes at the new $100 million Creighton University Health Sciences Campus – Phoenix this month. And, earlier this year, Creighton broke ground on the new CL Werner Center for Health Sciences in Omaha. With its health sciences programs in Phoenix and Omaha, Creighton is poised to be the largest provider of Catholic health professions education in the nation.
Christine Chavez, traveled with her mother, Maggie, and her father, Brian, from Denver, where she graduated from Mullen High School, a Lasallian Catholic prep school. She will study exercise science.
“I just liked Creighton when I toured it, and it’s kind of close to home but still far enough away to offer some independence,” she said. “My cousin is a junior here, and he thought I would like it and so he told me I should come visit.”
Outside the residence halls, still greeting the constant flow of parents dropping off their daughters and sons and their belongings, the blue-clad student ambassadors labored on, loading carts and transporting them up and down elevators.
Among the student volunteers was Matt Anderson, a native of Seattle, who will begin the new academic year as a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences studying biochemistry with a goal of entering medical school.
“The parents are just smiling,” he said. “They’re leaning through the windows and recording everything we’re doing with their cell phones, and we’re just jumping up and down — hyper as always. As soon as they give us consent to touch their stuff, we move it and take it up to the rooms. It’s just a great team time.
“Even before today a lot of students shipped packages and so, yesterday, we spent a couple of hours putting all their packages in front of their doors so when they got here, everything they had sent was right there ready for them.”
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