On June 27th, St. Francis College welcomed members of the Class of 2023 for its second 2019-20 new-student Orientation. The College will host its remaining Orientations for the upcoming school year on July 18^th, August 28^th and 30^th.

In the meantime, get to know three new faces that took part in the festivities and will be among the freshman class in September.

Gabriella Cava

The Beacon School (Manhattan) | Hometown: Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn

How did you first find out about St. Francis College?

Well, my older brother attended St. Francis and he graduated this year so...he always told me it was such a great community and great experience. So I looked into it from him.

What do you plan to study here?

I actually want to study nursing and I just got accepted to the program. So I'm looking forward to going into nursing and seeing what I can learn from that.

Are you thinking about doing any extracurriculars?

I definitely want to join [something] to make some friends and gain a sense of how the school works. I'm not exactly sure what I want to do yet, but I definitely want to join some things.

You're a McGuire scholar. How does that feel?

It's truly an honor. I was so excited when I received the acceptance to be a McGuire scholar and I'm truly so appreciative of it and I'm looking forward to see what that has in store for me.

What are you most excited to do when you start at St, Francis in September?

I really want to just learn a lot of new things, meet some new people, and just...go into the next step of my life.

Halina Sosiewicz

Community High School (Teaneck, NJ) | Hometown: Woodlawn Heights, The Bronx

You're a triplet, and you're attending St. Francis along with your brothers Christopher and Sigmund. Did you always plan to go to the same college?

Interesting question. So when we were all looking at colleges last spring and fall, we did not plan on going to the same college. I had an internship at The Intrepid and there was a college fair there. My brother Chris went and became really interested in St. Francis. We all came to open houses and it just happened that we all ended up coming here. We all love it so much. It has everything for each of us.

How did you end up with a McGuire scholarship?

I came to a lot of [St. Francis] events, and we talked to people here. They all said to apply for it and I just applied. I got it and I was very excited.

You're also in the honors program. What will you study here?

I don't know yet, but probably something like history. It changes every month.

Do you have career aspirations after college?

I'm still figuring it out, but I want a good job.

Are there any activities that you're interested in joining at Saint Francis?

I did a lot of activities in high school. I did student council, I did our school shop. I like sports. I would love to join stuff here, but I don't know what exactly. Probably student council.

Oormi Sivapatham

Notre Dame Academy (Staten Island) | Hometown: Castleton Corners, Staten Island

You're part of St. Francis' first women's soccer team, set to play its first season this fall. How did you get involved with it?

I was looking for Division I schools to play soccer and I heard about the first-year program at St. Francis, so I reached out to the coach [Justine Lombardi]. I came here to see how the school was. I got more into it for soccer. I play defense.

How do you feel to be about being part of the team?

Amazing. It's like a dream come true. I'm so excited. I met so many people already and I'm ready. It's the first year and we're making history.

Do you feel added pressure being that you're part of the first team?

It adds pressure, but we do good under pressure.

Are you planning to join any clubs or extracurriculars outside of soccer?

Yes. I want to join as much as I can. Maybe student government, something like that. And maybe an ethnic club, like the Asian club, because I'm Sri Lankan.

What will you study here?

Biology. I want to go to medical school and become a doctor. I've heard from so many people that the science program [at St. Francis] is top notch, and I want to learn from the best.