More than 10,000 visitors flocked to the UC Davis main campus April 6 for First-year Aggie Day, an immersive and interactive celebration for admitted students and their families to get a feel for Aggie life. Hundreds of staff, students and faculty from all four colleges filled every inch of the university with tours, open houses, presentations, informational sessions and activities, excited to help guests jumpstart their next chapter.
 
Energetic Welcome Session emcees, upbeat tour guides, friendly staff and every other campus employee working on First-year Aggie Day, were tasked with showcasing how 31,000 plus Aggies find community on the University of California’s largest geographical campus. 

To cultivate this sense of belonging, Robert Penman, executive director for UC Davis Undergraduate Admissions, opened the morning festivities by sharing statistics to the crowd packed along the stands of the University Credit Union. Penman listed the 987 baristas, 68 farmers, eight Guinness World Record holders, 132 sets of twins, 781 small business owners and 84 podcasters among the accepted student pool. 

Other presenters followed suit, contributing personal stories about finding community through their involvement with campus organizations. Some detailed the array of classes and academic programs available, to show how UC Davis offers something for everyone.

After the welcome ceremony ended, fan favorite mascot Gunrock and the popular UC Davis Marching Band, serenaded families and students with upbeat tunes, as they headed out to explore campus for the remainder of the day. 

At one the day’s most popular attractions, the campus walking tours, parents and students alike experienced the magic of learning about UC Davis in-person.

Prospective Aggie, Zoey Sodergren and her dad, Steve Sodergren, said Aggie Day was a good way for her and her family to get a sense for the UC Davis community.

“Online you can’t really tell what things are going to feel like,” Zoey Sodergren said “This is more fun and I get to meet people who know about my major.” 

Fellow admit Neha Narayanan and her parents were greeted by a current student waving and excitedly exclaiming congratulations passing them on a quintessential Davis mode of transportation, the humble bike. 

“A deciding factor for me is seeing what the campus and students are like in person. I really appreciate the interaction, it makes me feel welcome,” Narayanan said.

Throughout the busy day, students were encouraged to submit their Statements of Intent to Register, or SIR, at the specially decorated and curated SIR booth in the Cross Cultural Center.

Once there, admits were met with cheering staff and current students throwing blue and gold confetti, ready to snap pictures of them and their families.

Current third-year student and Aggie Day volunteer staff, Destiny Serna, shared how exciting it is to take part in this big milestone event.

“One parent came up to us volunteers and asked how long we had been cheering for. I chuckled and said it had been a minute. He thanked us and was so grateful for the work we did that day. It really made it all worth it,” said Serna.
 

Join the UC Davis community on May 18, for Transfer Aggie Day where doors will open once again to showcase campus for another group of incoming students and their families.