At 2:30 in the morning, Jimena Ruiz left Houston with her entire family so she could move into her campus residence and start classes at The University of Texas at Arlington.
While Ruiz said she felt nervous, her mother, grandmother, father and two sisters said they all felt proud.
"I came to UTA to study nursing," Ruiz said. "I did a lot of research and UTA has one of the best nursing programs."
Ruiz was one of thousands of new and returning students who moved into UTA's four residence halls and seven apartment communities over the weekend. Mavericks from more than 300 different cities, 30 states and 14 countries around the world unpacked and established their campus homes in anticipation of fall semester classes beginning Aug. 22.
Students, staff and community members were on hand to help unload cars and move college living essentials into individual rooms. President Jennifer Cowley and Arlington Mayor Jim Ross volunteered at UTA's West Hall, home to over 500 Mavericks.
Frederick Johnson happily moved in his daughter Nadia, who plans to study business management.
"Nadia is ready for UTA," Johnson said. "We toured multiple universities, and she could have gone anywhere in the nation. But she strategically selected UT Arlington because it's such a great opportunity to support her learning."
The freshman from Dallas said she is eager to discover the variety of UTA's student organizations for her distinctive interests.
"I love the campus—there's a lot of offerings and a lot of diversity," she said. "I have a passion for learning about climate change and global warming, and I'm also excited to find out more about UTA's Black Student Association."
Move-In Day marked the start of Maverick Stampede, a series of University-wide activities to help new and veteran students become acclimated to campus, learn more about student life and make new friends.
"I'm excited for the fun, the events and to start new and do new things," said freshman Malakai Perez, who will study political science and pre-law.
Paul Kittle, senior associate vice president for student affairs, also shared his excitement in welcoming students to UTA's "beautiful campus."
"This weekend, we are showing that UTA is really a community that cares by greeting families warmly, providing directions and smiles and even helping them move into their residence halls and apartments," he said.
Freshman Makayla Muñoz said "UTA was my top choice" as she moved into West Hall.
"I'm definitely excited for the classes, because I'm ready for something challenging," she said.
According to UTA Housing, on average 90% of students who live on campus for four years stay on track to graduate.
"When I first got to campus, I just knew this was the place for me," said Alexis O'Neal, a UTA freshman majoring in nursing. "I felt at home immediately. It was an all-of-the-sudden decision that I needed to go here."
O'Neal is from Quitman, Texas—over 100 miles east from her new dorm room—and said UTA was just the right amount of distance and closeness to home.
"I really like that I'll be in classes with people right in my hall," she said. "If I don't understand something, we'll be able to help each other right here. I'm looking forward to making friends and building connections that will last a lifetime."
