Welcome home to our new students, and welcome back to our returning Hilltoppers! Here at St. Edward's, our back-to-school season is called Welcome Days. During this time, incoming students move into their new residential experience on the hilltop, and we celebrate the arrival of all students for the new semester. New students also participate in Anchors, an event-filled weekend that provides a transition to life on campus and sets the stage for an unforgettable college experience!
Faculty, staff and returning St. Edward's students show up on move-in day to help freshmen and their families move them into their new homes on the hilltop.
Incoming freshmen had an exclusive opportunity with Career and Professional Development to take a tour of ACL Live, an iconic music venue in downtown Austin where the long-running ACL Live show is filmed. Students got a behind the scenes look at what goes into the production of the show and learned how the legendary backdrop was made with a reference photo taken from St. Edward's hilltop!
Anchors weekend kicked off for the entire freshmen class with the Medallion Ceremony, where faculty members bestow new students with medallions, which they will keep with them and wear on graduation day with their cap and gown.
Students participated in the Legacy Walk, one of the most cherished traditions at St. Edward's where hilltoppers walk about campus and through Main Building's red doors, signifying the start of their collegiate academic journey.
The Munday Library hosted a special reception for graduate students to mingle and meet classmates after the Medallion Ceremony.
Students enjoyed treats from local food trucks and carts, as well as classic carnival games. Some gave their best efforts to ride a mechanical bull!
Students had the chance to meet one-on-one with their success coach and financial aid counselor ahead of the start of classes, making sure everything was squared away and they were ready for their first day.
Students had the option to participate in three activities that that had thematic ties to the Common Theme reads this year, which are Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility, and Making Room: Three Decades of Fighting for Beds, Belonging, and a Safe Space for LGBTQ Youth.
First-generation students met for fellowship, food and fun at this reception celebrating them and their achievement to be the first in their families to attend college.
Hilltopper Athletics hosted a block party by Lewis-Chen Family Field, where student athletes hung out with incoming students and returning students alike. There was a dunk tank to dunk the coaches, a water balloon toss, music, food and more! The cheerleaders performed to keep the hilltopper spirit high.
Hilltoppers walked over to Lewis-Chen Family Field after the Party on the Pitch to watch the women's soccer team scrimmage against Concordia University Texas on a beautiful Texas summer evening.
Members of the St. Edward's community of all faith traditions were invited to the Mass of Welcome, where hilltoppers gathered to ask God's blessings on the efforts of educating minds and forming hearts in the Holy Cross tradition, with emphasis on praying for the newest students on campus.
The Holy Cross Institute opened its doors in Premont Hall for an open house to welcome Moreau Scholars and Holy Cross Ambassadors for moments of connection and fellowship ahead of the start of the school year.
The incoming class gathered for a group photo on the hill outside of the historic Main Building, with the iconic red doors in view. The Class of 2029's shirt is a re-released decades-old design that features the university seal.
A revived tradition is the reinstallation of "The Big E" and students leaving their legacy by adding their mark in stone. Students had the opportunity to do this by painting a small stone that will be placed around The Big E. Each incoming class will do this and our hilltop community will see the legacy grow in stone.
A favorite first day of school tradition for President Montserrat Fuentes and Lisa Kirkpatrick, Vice President of Student Affairs and Administration, is to give students rides to class on the Topper Mobile. Student Government Association President Angelica Scheer decorated the Topper Mobile and drove everyone around campus for the afternoon.
Is it really the first day of school at St. Ed's if you didn't take photos at the red doors?! Advancement and Student Involvement provided a variety of props for students to have the perfect photo op to commemorate their first (and for seniors, their last first) day of school!)
© 2026 St. Edward's University
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