To celebrate the start of the fall quarter at UC Riverside, CHASS held Welcome Week celebrations throughout the first week across campus. As the school year commences, CHASS wants to welcome students and also share what people are excited about in this new chapter.

Beginning on Sept. 29, CHASS kicked off the first of three Welcome Week events near the Sproul and Lot 30 Walkway. The Welcome Week celebrations continued on Oct. 3 at the ARTS Building Walkway and concluded on Oct. 4 near the entrance to Hinderaker.

At Welcome Week, students were able to play games to win prizes, partake in activities such as making friendship bracelets, eating ice cream, and meeting Scotty. The first 50 students to like and follow CHASS social media also received a free CHASS t-shirt in either blue or green with a colorful design featuring the iconic Humanities and Social Science tower.

Joined by CHASS Dean Daryle Williams, CHASS advisors, and campus partners such as the Academic Resource Center, Career Center, and the Women’s Resource Center, students had the opportunity to connect with advisors, ask questions, and learn more about campus partners, services, and resources available at UCR. 

“[Welcome Week] is a way to get to know others, get to know what CHASS is about, and that makes me feel welcomed here,” said Cynthia Pahua, a first-year English student in CHASS who attended the Welcome Week events. From Fontana, Pahua became interested in CHASS and the Department of English when applying for college in her senior year of high school.

As a first-year student, Pahua looks forward to meeting new people at UCR, staying focused, and achieving academically by maintaining good grades and adopting new strategies and methods for studying.

“I really like to see outreach and events by CHASS and be able to connect with people who are in the same college as I am,” said Omar Mondragon, a fourth-year CHASS student majoring in history. Originally from Colton, Mondragon previously transferred from Riverside City College to UCR in 2022, and was already familiar with UCR thanks to his mother who serves as the Director of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).

“I really wanted to attend here because it’s both my legacy and also a really good college with a really good program that I am interested in,” he said. Mondragon looks forward to graduating and getting into a master's program and working towards obtaining his teacher’s credentials. 

“I am trying to enjoy my college time, trying to take more classes, trying to be more involved and go to events such as Welcome Week, and really enjoying my last year as an undergraduate student,” Mondragon said. 

See a list of all CHASS upcoming events.

Photo credit to Jessica Melendez