Loyola University Chicago

Daniela Barriga, incoming student; Bolingbrook, IL: “I was really nervous to be leaving home, but when I’m here it feels good, and I don’t think I’m going to miss home as much as I thought I would.” (Photos: Natalie Battaglia)

Louis Herman, incoming student; Westchester, IL: “I’m the first in my family to go to Loyola. Everyone else went to different universities, so I’m really excited to create my own path. I was so excited when I got my acceptance letter.”

Samuel Garrow, incoming student; St. Louis, MO: “It feels great to be a Rambler. I’m looking forward to meeting a lot of new people and having a great time at Loyola.”

Tayah Carlisle, incoming student; Seattle, WA: “I’m looking forward to the atmosphere and the community at Loyola. I’m from Seattle, so I’m excited for that new, hip feeling of Chicago.”

Tyler Anne Valerio, incoming student; Arlington Heights, IL: “I’m looking forward to meeting new people and helping others. I’m going to be a biology major, so hopefully I’ll be able to use that and help people in the future.”

Trevaughn Latimer, incoming student: “It’s exciting now that I’m here. It wasn’t really a reality before I came, but now that I’m here, I’m excited about learning.”

Ainsley McGrath, Orientation leader; Elmhurst, IL: “I think my favorite part about leading tours is how much you end up learning about yourself. Leading these students into their ‘ah-ha’ moments of what they’re going to do at school is really inspiring.”

Shaje Shepherd, Orientation leader; Chicago Heights, IL: “I love showing Loyola to others. It’s a great school with a lot of diversity. It’s great when other students see that and realize why they’re going to love this school.”

Dhara Puvar, Orientation leader; Darien, IL: “My favorite part of leading Orientation is definitely being able to see students grow over a day and a half. They start off maybe nervous or shy or unsure of what their place will be at Loyola, but by the end they’re really excited and they’re happy to be able to find a home here.”

Armeen Sayani, Orientation leader; Skokie, IL: “I went through Orientation a year ago myself and didn’t know anything about the buildings and campus. But now I can show other people and tell them what happens in each building—and that just gets me excited and happy to show off this beautiful campus.”