Promises of Help, Hope, and Success Greet Class of 2012

Loic Ducasse

"Make the College your own," Brooklyn College President Christoph M. Kimmich advised hundreds of incoming Brooklyn College freshmen gathered on the Quad on Wednesday, as the Class of 2012 was officially welcomed to the College community.

Under an arch of maroon and yellow balloons on the library steps, the president told students to remember that “four years from now, you will again be on this Quad—as graduates of Brooklyn College.” He went on to describe the incoming class of 1,200 students as "bright, motivated, and determined to succeed," adding that a superb faculty, excellent technology, motivated and loyal alumni, and a broad panoply of student advisement and other services were available "to help you walk into the future."

Dominica Micmalowska

In exchange, the president said, a strong student commitment to academic excellence, a high level of tolerance and civility, respect for free speech, and shared aspirations for greater freedom were expected.  Students then took an oath committing themselves to those principles before adjourning to the cafeteria for a continental breakfast and the start of years of networking, excitement, and challenge.

"I came here from Haiti especially to attend Brooklyn College," said freshman Loic Ducasse. "It is a beautiful campus and has very strong offerings in business administration, which is my area of interest."

Dominica Micmalowska, twenty-three, said she chose to attend Brooklyn College after a year of road trips across the country. "After I finished my earlier studies in Poland, I wanted to come to the United States.  I learned that Brooklyn College has an excellent reputation for television and radio studies.  It is extremely reasonable in price and quite lovely, so it wasn’t a difficult decision to make."