President Michelle Patrick addressed the freshman class Thursday during the annual RMU Matriculation ceremony. The ceremony started with a performance from the band, which led into the national anthem and thus began the ceremony.

President Patrick introduced herself along with some words of encouragement.

“Make the most of your RMU experience and you will become unstoppable,” she said, “At RMU we give you the confidence to try, the freedom to fail, and the support to try again. And we promise you are going to have exceptional classroom experiences.”

She continued explaining the opportunities Robert Morris University offers its student body. “Valuable professional experiences like internships, clinicals, research projects, and lots of other things!”

Afterward, the senior class president Cade Skuse gave a speech as well, where he encouraged the freshman to “just say yes.”

He went on to explain how he was absolutely terrified of his stay on campus in the beginning. “I was afraid I couldn’t fit in, I was afraid of not making any friends, and I would just end up sitting in my dorm room all alone watching TikTok,” he said.

The ceremony ended with the freshman class reciting the RMU alma mater, followed by an exuberant performance from the university’s cheer team. Tears were shed as parents had to let go of their kids and depart home.

President Patrick, the RMU staff, and other RMU volunteers at the event were excited to welcome everyone to the campus and begin the new school year.