One community. One UD.

Emely Mercado, a first-generation college student from Newark, Delaware, looked around The Green at her University of Delaware peers, each holding a candle symbolizing their individual academic journeys. She felt a lot of emotions on the eve of college - excitement, nervousness, pride and, most prominent, disbelief that she, too, was about to officially become a part of the Blue Hen community.

"I'm still shocked that I'm here. I never thought I would've made it here, to college," she said. "This candle-lighting ceremony is really beautiful, really mesmerizing, and it feels like a big moment. So right now I'm just taking it all in. It's a good feeling."

Mercado's journey began alongside more than 4,600 other new Blue Hens at the annual Twilight Induction Ceremony, a campus tradition that welcomes new students and kicks off their first semester at UD. The ceremony is the culmination of Welcome Days, several days of activities and opportunities for new students to learn about the campus and meet their classmates.