Brooklyn College Welcomes Its Fall 2017 Incoming Class with a Campus-Wide Fair

Sept. 1, 2017

The rain didn't stop the Brooklyn College community from celebrating over 3,700 incoming students during the annual Involvement Fair (formerly Club Fair), held on August 29 on the East and West quads. Amongst a sea of umbrellas, hundreds of incoming freshmen and transfer students showed up to get better acquainted with their new academic home and learn about student clubs, civic engagement opportunities, community resources, and the services offered by the college's departments and offices. The event was hosted by the Student Activities, Involvement, and Leadership (SAIL) Center.

Air Force veteran Christopher Robin Thompson is looking to refine his purpose at Brooklyn College.

Transfer student Nachum Sash is pursuing his dream of becoming an actuary by learning the industry in the college’s Murray Koppelman School of Business.

Members of the Brooklyn College Student Government see Bulldogs in their future.

Students interested in the Fashion Marketing Society are always prepared to pose for a picture.

The Magner Career Center is ready to help students find the perfect internship opportunities.

Brooklyn College cares about veteran students and the Office of Veterans Affairs, as well as the Veteran Students’ Organization is here to provide resources and support.

Environmental sustainability is one of the most important tenets of a Brooklyn College education.

The Intervarsity Christianity Fellowship

The Brooklyn College Islamic Society

Bulldogs for Israel

The Office of International Education and Global Engagement has helped hundreds of Brooklyn College students study abroad in hundreds of locations.

A rainy day could not dampen the spirits of the Brooklyn College Medical Brigades!

With dozens of tables set up and staffed to answer questions about everything from the Accounting Society to Veterans Services, and more, the new students had the opportunity to meet new people, and chat about common interests.

Christopher Robin Thompson is a transfer student from the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), majoring in television and radio, and the first person in his family to attend college. Originally from Virginia and raised in Wenatchee, Washington, Thompson is also an Air Force veteran who served a tour in Afghanistan and one in Djibouti. He says that his military experience exposed him to a wider variety of peoples and cultures than he had ever been exposed to. He came to New York, and to Brooklyn College, to immerse himself in the diversity that opened up his worldview.

"New York was somewhere I always wanted to be," Thompson says. "I remember being in choir in ninth or 10th grade, and we started singing a lot of Frank Sinatra songs, and hearing 'New York, New York'—honestly, that's what triggered it. If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere. I'm striving to live by those words."

Though it is something he had always been interested in, Thompson is hoping that Brooklyn College will help him discover precisely what it is that he would like to focus on in the television and radio industry.

"I never really thought TV/radio was something you could make a career out of. It seemed like an unobtainable goal. I went through a life change two years ago and asked myself what I really wanted to do and thought why not try something new? Maybe sports media or newsroom operations? I'm here to expand on that vision. That's what I'm hoping to learn over the next two years at Brooklyn College."

Nachum Sash is a transfer student from Touro College, where he studied Judaic studies. At Brooklyn College, he is majoring in math and minoring in finance. Born and raised in Brooklyn, not too far from the college, Sash appreciates the college's proximity to his own community. He is one of six children, and has a twin brother who is studying graphic design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Sash had a great time at the Involvement Fair, finding that the Table Tennis Club piqued his interest.

Currently, Sash's goal is to become an actuary.

"I heard a lot of great things about Brooklyn College's Murray Koppelman School of Business and what it can offer students looking to go into fields like accounting and finance. That made the decision to transfer here pretty easy."

Brooklyn College's celebration of its incoming class is just beginning. See below for a list of upcoming events in honor the newest members of the #BCFamily, as well as some quick facts about the incoming class. For more information about these and other events, please contact the SAIL Center, located in the Brooklyn College Student Center, at 718.951.5712. And remember to connect with Brooklyn College on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Upcoming Events

Bulldog Pride

August 31
12:15–2:15 p.m.
East Quad

Meet the Greeks

September 5
12:15–2:15 p.m.
West Quad

National PanHellenic Conference (NPC) Universal Night

September 5
6-9 p.m.
Bedford Lounge, Student Center, second floor

Diversity Fair

September 7
12:15–2:15 p.m.
West Quad

Constitution Day

September 14
12:15–2:15 p.m.
East Quad

These Hands Don't Haze

September 19
12:15–2:15 p.m.
Whitehead Hall

Interesting Facts About the Incoming Class of 2017

Population

Freshmen: 1,671
Transfers: 2,108
Total: 3,779

Gender

Female 55%
Male: 45%

Ethnicity

American Indian or Alaskan Native: 0.1%
Asian: 19%
Black or African American: 17%
Hispanic: 24%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 0.1%
White: 24%
Two or more ethnicities: 1.8%
Unknown: 14%