Roger Williams University Welcomes Class of 2030 at Convocation, Urges Students to ‘Make the Moments Count’

August 25, 2026By Jordan J. Phelan '19

The Class of 2030 gathers for a group photo prior to the Convocation ceremony.

BRISTOL, R.I. - Convocation formally welcomed 1,003 new undergraduate students into the Roger Williams University community on Monday, Aug. 24, in the Campus Recreation Center, where Interim President Brian Williams challenged the Class of 2030 to make the most of the four years ahead.

With Cabinet members and faculty by his side, Interim President Brian Williams welcomes the incoming undergraduate class, ushering in a new chapter at Roger Williams University.

"What happens between these two moments will be shaped by many things: your courses, your friendships, your choices, your mistakes, your questions, your courage, your work, and the people who help you along the way," Williams said.

His challenge to the newest Hawks was simple: "Use your moments well."

The ceremony brought together students, faculty, staff, university leaders, and student leaders to mark the beginning of the academic year. The Class of 2030 represents 31 U.S. states and 10 countries. 25 percent of those students are the first in their families to attend college, while nearly 20 percent are recruited student-athletes.

But before university leaders told the new students what their RWU experience could become, members of the Class of 2030 had the opportunity to introduce themselves.

'Who Will You Become?'

In a new Convocation tradition, first-year students Arden Hall, a Marine Biology major from Gloucester, Mass., and Ailey Olofson, an Elementary Education major from Hampton Falls, N.H., presented an antiphon created from words submitted by members of their class.

The call-and-response reflection captured the experiences, talents, interests, and aspirations students are bringing with them to Roger Williams - athletes and artists, musicians and scientists, leaders and entrepreneurs, writers, performers, creators, and community builders.

"We bring different cultures, backgrounds, languages, traditions, families, and experiences," Hall and Olofson shared. "We bring the places we have called home and the people who have helped us become who we are."

First-year students Ailey Olofson and Arden Hall present the Class of 2030 Antiphon during Convocation in the Campus Recreation Center, sharing the collective voices, experiences, and aspirations of RWU's newest Hawks.

Their classmates described hopes of joining clubs, pursuing internships and research, studying abroad, connecting with professors, stepping outside their comfort zones, and even creating new opportunities for others. Some hope to start organizations of their own. Others simply want to meet new people, make friends, and help those around them feel welcomed.

The antiphon began with three questions: "Who am I? Who do I want to become? And who do I want to be for others?"

It ended by looking toward answers that will take shape over the next four years.

"We are excited to learn not only who you are today," they said, "but who you will become."

Making 168 Hours Count

Williams carried that question forward in his first Convocation address as interim president, reminding students that college will give them more freedom over their time - and more responsibility for how they use it.

There are 168 hours in a week, he noted. Students taking five courses may spend about 15 of them in the classroom. Much of the learning and growth that defines their college experience will happen outside the classroom.

"Do not treat the hours outside class as leftover time," Williams said. "That is where a great deal of your growth will happen."

Some of the experiences that eventually matter most, he told students, may seem ordinary while they are happening: a class discussion, a meal with new friends, a meeting they nearly skipped, or a walk across campus when RWU begins to feel like home.

The Class of 2030 begins their academic journey at Roger Williams University with a procession to the Convocation ceremony.

He encouraged the first-year students to pay particular attention to the habits they form during their first six weeks - whether they prepare ahead of deadlines, ask for help when they need it, leave their rooms to participate in campus life, and give themselves and others time to adjust.

"Do not confuse a hard first week with a wrong choice," Williams said. "Do not confuse being uncomfortable with not belonging. Sometimes discomfort is simply the growing pains of who you are becoming."

Students will not have to navigate those moments alone, he said. Williams described mentoring at RWU as more than a single meeting or assigned relationship. He said it is a culture built around faculty, staff, advisors, coaches, supervisors, alumni, and peers who help students discover their strengths and find direction.

"We want every student to be known," Williams said. "We want students to learn through experience, reflect on those experiences, test possibilities, and build the relationships that open doors."

He left the Class of 2030 with three requests: use their time well, create the community they want RWU to be, and remain open to receiving guidance while offering it to others.

"RWU will change you in some way over the next four years," Williams said. "And I am confident that each of you will also change RWU in some way."

'Live the Questions'

Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Margaret Everett encouraged students to make room in those four years for curiosity and exploration.

Rather than viewing RWU's Core Curriculum simply as a series of requirements on the way to a major, Everett urged students to see it as an opportunity to explore unfamiliar subjects, ideas, and perspectives.

"Your major will give you depth. The Core gives you breadth - and, just as importantly, gives you permission to explore," she said. "Take a course in something you know absolutely nothing about. Try something you aren't sure you'll be good at. Read something that challenges what you think you know."

Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Margaret Everett encourages the Class of 2030 to embrace curiosity, take intellectual risks, and use their time at RWU to explore new ideas, interests, and possibilities.

While RWU places a strong emphasis on career preparation through internships, research, study abroad, community-engaged work, and other hands-on experiences, Everett said a college education also prepares students to navigate a world that will continue to change in unpredictable ways.

That requires learning how to think without an obvious answer, communicate, listen, adapt, and reconsider assumptions when new evidence calls for it.

Borrowing the advice of poet Rainer Maria Rilke, Everett urged students to "live the questions" - about what matters to them, what makes them curious, the work they may find meaningful, and the people they hope to become.

"You do not need to know the answers today," Everett said. "In fact, I hope some of your answers change while you're here."

The Courage to Get Involved

Student Body President Henry Siravo knows firsthand how an ordinary decision during the opening days of college can send a student down an unexpected path.

Siravo, a junior Political Science major and Professional & Public Writing minor, recalled sitting in his Stonewall residence hall room on his 18th birthday after Move-In, nervous about whether he would succeed academically, make friends, and find his place at RWU.

Student Body President Henry Siravo challenges new Hawks to get involved, meet people, and "be brave enough for two."

When his roommate invited him to a food truck event, Siravo declined. Then his suitemate, Jorden, came knocking.

Siravo tried several times to back out during the short walk toward the door, but Jorden knew he wanted to put himself out there even if he was not yet ready to do it on his own.

That night introduced Siravo to Student Senate.

"You never know what is waiting for you," he told the Class of 2030. "I certainly didn't know that going to food trucks on that first night would put me here today before you."

That willingness to take a chance carried into the classroom. A Writing 102 course changed how Siravo thought about writing and led him to add the subject as a minor. Through Student Senate, Mock Trial, faculty mentors, and advisors, he continued to find people who challenged and supported him.

Siravo initially planned to tell students to follow his example by getting involved, seeking leadership positions, and immersing themselves in RWU. Instead, he told them to follow Jorden's example.

"Go out, meet people, get involved - and bring someone with you," Siravo said. "Be brave enough for two. A little bit of kindness and a little bit of courage can go a very long way."

Welcome to the RWU Academic Community

The ceremony concluded with Professor of Biology Paul Webb, recipient of the 2026 RWU Excellence in Teaching Award, leading the entering class in the Pledge of Academic Integrity.

Standing together, the new Hawks pledged to challenge themselves to the highest academic standards, act honestly and responsibly, and support one another as members of a community of scholars.

Vice President for Student Life Vitaliano Figueroa encouraged students to see themselves not simply as newcomers to RWU, but as active participants in shaping the university and the community they now share.

"You and your classmates are our future, and this is now your university," Figueroa said. "Bring forward your ideas for strengthening academic and campus life. Volunteer to improve what already exists and to help create what is missing."

Vice President for Student Life Vitaliano Figueroa welcomes the Class of 2030 into the RWU community, reminding students that this is now their university - and inviting them to strengthen what exists, create what is missing, and leave their mark.

Four years from now, the Class of 2030 will gather again for Commencement.

Until then, Williams told them, the moments are theirs to shape.

"Let's make the time between now and Commencement count," he said. "Welcome to Roger Williams University. Welcome to the RWU community. Welcome to the beginning. Let's go Hawks."

Convocation 2026