by Bridget Ruffing, ’22
Thomas More College is proud to welcome a wide range of enthusiastic scholars into this year’s Freshman class. These incoming students hail from all over the United States, and each has brought his own unique talents and perspective to the college community. Lydia He comes to the College from Iowa, but she spent the first eleven years of her life in China and is a native Mandarin speaker. Language is a passion of Lydia’s, and she professes, “I love French history and culture—so I tried French myself during the last two years of high school.” She hopes to continue to improve her mastery of French and enjoys translating “various things between Chinese and English, and sometimes from and into French.” Lydia is excited to add yet another language to her repertoire and says that Latin is her favorite of the classes she has taken so far at Thomas More.
Amid the diversity of this class are woven strong common threads that connect its members to each other and to the wider college community. One of these points of connection is a love of music. Virginia native Alex Tapsak says, “My greatest passion is music, especially as a method of bringing people together in fellowship and merriment.” His classmate Joseph Saunders, who comes to Thomas More from Wisconsin, shares this passion: “I’ve been a musician for most of my life and continue to practice folk music production.” Folk music has always been a vital facet of Thomas More student life, a tradition carried on from the early days of the College and kept alive with enthusiasm by each class. The epicenter of this living tradition on campus is the Folk Music Guild, where it is passed on as an artform. Certainly, this guild and this tradition will continue to flourish and thrive in the hands of the Class of 2025.
Another beloved tradition at Thomas More College is that of welcoming new students with an orientation trip through the grandeur of the White Mountains. Here, freshmen get to hike, relax, and enjoy each other’s company. This year, however, orientation looked quite different since rainy weather and high windspeeds made it too unsafe to explore the mountains. Not to be discouraged by adverse fortune, the freshmen and the College made the most of the weekend nevertheless, and everyone got to enjoy a couple of fine days of discovery and adventure—albeit a little closer to home—before classes started. Activities for the class’s campus-based orientation included an Italian bistro night, complete with pasta making and formal dress, as well as a guided tour through New Hampshire’s historic town of Hollis, which was led by College president Dr. Fahey. Alex and Joseph particularly enjoyed the poetry recitations and impromptu jam sessions that punctuated the weekend, and Lydia He was pleasantly surprised to find that she loved taking part in the swing dancing that made up one evening’s entertainment.
The first full week of classes has come to an end, and the College looks forward to formally welcoming everyone into the new school year at Convocation on September 10th. In the meantime, the freshmen are settling into the community and everyone on campus is getting back into the swing of classes. Already the newcomers have begun to discover the richness of the school’s social life and traditions. Joseph Saunders observes, “Rarely will you find a group of young men and women willing to pursue truth through action. Thomas More College seems to attract a certain kind of person who is both down to earth, yet willing to look beyond.” Alex Tapsak has taken special notice of the depth and variety present among the members of each class. He remarks, “It may seem like such a united community would lack diversity—either of opinion, lifestyle, or interests—but the amount of diversity seems to be more than I’ve found anywhere else. I believe this is because Thomas More provides a space for students to truly find themselves with no fear of insecurity, so their talents are allowed to flourish and add to the rich community.” This rich community is ready and eager to embrace all the Class of 2025 has to offer. Thomas More College has already benefited immensely from the freshman class’s enthusiasm for the pursuit of truth, and all await Convocation with mounting excitement. Until then, the College wishes to say: Welcome to the community, Class of 2025. Thank you for being here.
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