Moving boxes and sorority letters were seen all over Troy University’s Troy campus this past weekend as students moved into their dorm rooms and celebrated the end of Rush Week on Sorority Hill.
On Saturday, move-in day, all of the parking lots on campus were filled with cars, trucks and trailers as students picked up essentials for their dorm rooms in preparation for the new school year.
Zachary Matthews, a rising freshman from Center Point, Alabama, visited TROY for the first time last year during Boys State and is looking forward to making new friends – and reconnecting with his former high school classmates.
“I came here a year ago and have been in love with the campus ever since,” he said. “I want to study cybersecurity or something technology-related and I definitely plan on joining the Computer Science Club. I know a few people from my high school who are here. I said I was coming to TROY first, so I think they followed me, but I’m ready to find them.”
Accompanied by his parents Zanthia and Michael and his younger sister, the family’s moving day began bright and early at 8 a.m. Zanthia said she felt an overall “peaceful” feeling about her son’s move to college.
“We are so excited for him to grow and use these skills, develop his character and all the things that we have taught him,” she said. “We are looking forward to building relationships with the other TROY parents and students and of course the teaching staff.”
Michael, pastor of Faith Missionary Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, said he is extremely grateful for the atmosphere that will surround his son.
“As a pastor, I was really excited about the campus ministry opportunities here,” he said. “When we came here, one of the first things we felt was the family atmosphere, and we have no doubt that the teachers and administration will care about our child and consider him as important as we do.”
Across campus, on Sorority Hill, over 200 hopeful women waited to open their sealed applications to see which house they would call home.
Faith Merrill, a freshman from Niceville, Florida, said each day of recruitment brought something new and exciting.
“Every day I woke up nervous because I didn’t know what to expect, whether I would get the green light to go to the next round,” she said. “It was exciting, but also so nerve-wracking.”
After meeting her new sisters, Merrill said she was most excited about starting classes and working toward her goal of earning a degree in American politics and public administration.
Callie Henderson, a freshman from Fairhope, Alabama, said it was a stressful but surreal experience.
“It was a lot. It was one of the most stressful weeks of my life, but it was so worth it,” she said. “Meeting everyone and visiting the different houses, you get a feeling when you walk into the house you want. It’s surreal.”
Sorority applications were handed out promptly at 10 a.m., and each girl who received an application had the chance to join a long-standing tradition and walk up the hill to her waiting sorority family. Coverage of the event can be found here.
