A praying mantis set Michael Chao on a path to Cornell.  

An enthusiastic stranger convinced Danielle Trinh that Cornell was the right place for her.  

And Eliana Galleo saw a liveliness at Cornell she hadn’t found elsewhere. 

They are among the 3,681 first-year students and 603 transfers who begin moving to campus Aug. 17, hailing from 49 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and American Samoa, and 62 countries. Among the first-year students, 997 hail from New York state, 12.8% are the first in their family to attend college, and four served in the military. Among transfer students, 23 are veterans.  

“We are so excited to welcome our newest Cornellians, who will bring their own stories of curiosity and unique aspirations,” said Lisa Nishii, senior vice provost for enrollment management and undergraduate education. “Our vibrant community of faculty, staff and peers looks forward to serving as their mentors as they explore new intellectual paths, build meaningful connections and form a sense of purpose that will shape their lives at Cornell and beyond.” 

New students move in Aug. 17-18, and New Student Orientation takes place Aug. 18-23. President Michael I. Kotlikoff will welcome students and their families to the university during New Student Convocation on Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field, and returning students will move in Aug. 21-22. 

This year, students will check in on campus, rather than at the mall, and student athletes from the Men of Color in Athletics (MOCA) will serve in a new role as “hype squad” to welcome students and their families as they begin their Cornell journey.  

Chao’s Cornell journey started with a bug. 

After discovering an undescribed species during an insect-collecting expedition in Vietnam, Chao researched several institutional insect collections to find a home for his specimen – Arria stanleyi, a moss-covered praying mantis.  

While he ended up depositing the insect in an institution closer to home, the Cornell University Insect Collection impressed him, and he realized the entomology department in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences might be a great place for him. He plans to pursue a career in forensic entomology. 

“I’m still looking to do more in entomology than just describing a species,” said Chao, who is from Rancho Palos Verdes, California. 

Trinh, who is from Houston, will study nutritional sciences in the College of Human Ecology, where she hopes to build on her foundational belief that there is no right way to approach nutrition, health and well-being.  

“I really liked how I could tie in culture with my degree, and culture for me was always a big part of my identity because I am Vietnamese and Chinese, and I also love eating Korean food and I also like cooking soup and I’m also vegetarian,” she said. “I can branch out to other things like continuing my German studies, maybe join a Vietnamese club, and other things like that.” 

A chance conversation with a Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy student about the supportive nature of the Cornell community cemented her decision to attend. After a campus tour, she struck up a conversation with him on the sidewalk. She was impressed with how generous he was with his time, even though it was finals week. 

“He told me you will find your own niche here, and you will have someone who will be your best friend, someone who will be your adviser, someone who will be your mentee, and upperclass students who can guide you,” she said. “That conversation really convinced me because he himself was so willing to help me.” 

The overall vibes at Cornell helped Galleo, of Quakertown, Pennsylvania, realize Cornell felt like home. 

Despite visiting Cornell in the dead of winter, she found the atmosphere lively and familial.  

“You could just tell that the people that were there were all on a mission, and they looked happy,” she said. “I really liked the way that felt to be around.” 

Working for her father’s pool business from an early age inspired Galleo’s interest in using engineering to positively impact people’s daily lives, and now she plans to pursue that interest as a student in the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering. 

“I want to work on factoring in the human experience,” she said, “asking how can I make this building or this structure the most useful as it possibly can be, or the most safe, or the most easy for a contractor like my dad to actually create if I were to make a blueprint.” 

In the leadup to move-in she has gotten to know her roommates, who have all walked unique paths to get to Cornell. 

“We have such a diverse group of individuals from all different backgrounds,” she said, “and we can’t be put into a box.”