SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — From packed family vehicles and rolling carts to glowing torches and proud smiles, Alabama A&M University welcomed more than 2,200 first-time freshmen for a milestone weekend that began their journey as the Class of 2030.
The celebration started Aug. 14 with Move-In Day as students and families arrived on The Hill carrying boxes, clothing, bedding, and college essentials. Residence halls, including the Knight Living and Learning Complex and Hugine Complex, quickly filled as new roommates met for the first time and families transformed unfamiliar rooms into new homes.
Returning students, campus organizations, and volunteers helped unload vehicles, carry belongings, provide directions, and answer questions. Their assistance helped ease what can be an emotional transition for new students and their families.
Student leaders described the day as an opportunity to extend the same welcome they received as freshmen. Student organizations worked in the Alabama heat while demonstrating one of the University’s central values: Bulldogs helping Bulldogs.
The weekend continued Saturday with the annual Freshman Torch Lighting Ceremony at the AAMU Event Center. Thousands of students wearing official class polos filled the main floor and seats for the traditional passing of knowledge, responsibility and Bulldog spirit to a new generation.
President Daniel K. Wims celebrated the class’s academic preparation and geographic representation. Preliminary registration figures show students from 37 states and eight countries. The class is 59 percent women and 41 percent men, with an average high school grade-point average of 3.25 and an average ACT score above 18.
“This exceptional class represents the rich diversity and far-reaching spirit of the University,” Wims said.
Alabama A&M alumnus Craig James Mitchell delivered the keynote address, encouraging students to climb “The Hill” with instinct, pressure and purpose.
“No matter where you’ve come from, today you have a 4.0,” Mitchell told the class. “Keep the main thing the main thing.”
Mitchell, a 2013 marketing graduate, leads CM Effect LLC, a voice-led creative agency. His professional work has contributed to projects involving Roc Nation, the NBA, the Harlem Globetrotters, and Alabama A&M’s “Love the Future” 150th-anniversary campaign.
During his years at AAMU, Mitchell participated in Student Government, M.A.N.U.P. and University Theatre and became a member of the Gamma Phi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. He said those experiences built his foundation in leadership, teamwork, community, and service.
Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Dr. Braque Talley reminded freshmen that the torch represents generations of scholars who walked The Hill before them.
“The torch that you will hold tonight is more than a symbol of tradition,” Talley said. “It carries the knowledge, responsibility, and the Bulldog spirit of those who have come before you.”
New-student activities continue through the Bulldog Welcome Experience, which offers mentoring, campus programs, and opportunities to learn AAMU’s history and traditions.
Fall classes begin Thursday, Aug. 20. The residence-hall boxes may not all be unpacked, but the Class of 2030 has found its campus, accepted the torch, and begun writing its own Alabama A&M story with confidence.