First impressions: Rochester Review checked in on the first day of classes

Collage of URochester students in their first-day-of-classes outfits, with mascot Rocky in the middle.

Everyone had somewhere to be, a syllabus to read, and a semester to figure out. We stopped them anyway.

Naomi Chad in white shoes, fatigue-patterned cargo pants, a black t-shirt, takes a phone call. — Naomi Chad ’27E; Tomball, Texas; Voice

Nia Alexander in a bright red, short-sleeve top, black pants with her URochester Medicine ID affixed to them, black shoes, and with a brown leather bag. — Nia Alexander ’30M (MD); Houston, Texas; Medicine

Sukhman Thind in a white v-neck shirt, black pants with his URochester Medicine ID clipped on it, black shoes, and a black backpack gives a thumbs up. — Sukhman Thind ’30M (MD); Toronto, Canada; Medicine

Alyssa Austin in sneakers, dark navy nursing pants, a white nursing tunic, holds a brown leather backpack and a notebook. — Alyssa Austin ’27N; Manhattan, New York; Accelerated Bachelor’s in Nursing

Isabella Florez Monroy ’27; Austin, New York; Chemistry

Matthew Langrell in shorts and a gray t-shirt plays the tuba. — **Matthew Langrell ’27E; Washington, DC; Tuba**

Why the tuba? ↑
When I first got into music, I was playing trombone. And then there was an opening for the tuba, and I was like, “Ohhh, big shiny thing.” I was 10 when I started. And then I didn’t stop.

Chloe Wen in dark slacks and a dream top shoes off her green backpack with a Snoopy bag tag. — **Chloe Wen ’30M (MD); Buffalo, New York; Medicine**

Who’s this guy on your backpack? ↑
He’s a Pikmin. It’s from this game that’s kind of like Pokémon GO. I played it a lot with my friends from college and my mom, and so I’m really attached to the characters. I bought this in Japan, where I traveled all summer.

Zinedine Bousraou in a cream-colored shirt, black windbreaker, black jeans, and black shoes. — **Zinedine Bousraou ’30; Malverne, New York; Chemical or Optical Engineering**

How’s your first day going? ↑
My RA said that I should sit in for organic chemistry, and I did that this morning. It was my first class and the teacher just understood how to teach. I’ve taken college courses before but didn’t have the best experience. This just blew all my expectations.

Elijah Gebers in khaki-colored slacks, a teal sweater vest over a colored shirt and tie, with pink shoes, and holding an umbrella. — Elijah Gebers ’27E; Denver, Colorado; Opera

Marin Grundig in a light red and white striped, three-quarter sleeve shirt, jeans, sneakers, and a big brown shoulder bag. — Marin Grundig ’27, ’27S; Boston, Massachusetts; Psychology and Business Marketing

David Zhu in a blue, long-sleeve, button-down shirt, khakis with black belt and shoes, holds his gray Jansport backpack. — David Zhu ’30M (MD); Shanghai, China; Medicine

Noah Tobias Carver in gray cargo pants, an orange, short-sleeve L.L. Bean t-shirt, and a white cane. — Noah Tobias Carver ’27E; Beals, Maine; Voice

Ty Promreuk in a black, white, and gray plaid top, tiered black skirt, and black boots. — Ty “Taya” Promreuk ’25E, ’27E (MM); Sunnyvale, California; Piano

Janelly Andrade-Gonzales in dark blue nursing scrub bottoms, white nursing tunic top, big red bow tying back her hair, and a pink backpack. — **Janelly Andrade-Gonzales ’25, ’27N; Los Angeles, California; Accelerated Bachelor’s in Nursing**

Nate France in white shoes, light-washed jean shorts, and a gray and white horizontal-striped rugby-style shirt holds a trumpet. — **Nate France ’30E; Webster, New York; Jazz Trumpet and Music Education**

What do you do in your downtime? ↑
Me and my friends have set times when we can just chill, relax, play board games, watch movies. No electronic devices—just talk and interact.

Camden Fleming in a gray hoodie, cutoff jean shorts, clogs with crew socks, and a backpack. — **Camden Fleming ’28S; Marblehead, Massachusetts; Business Finance**

Three words to describe how you’re feeling? ↑
I’d say excited, hopeful, a little nervous. It’s time to start getting internships and trying to further my career. I’ve got a lot to do this year.