Home away from home

Photos: Jenny Fontaine

The newest class of Flames hauled piles of their belongings into residence halls for Move-In Day Aug. 22.

Elly Lawson from Aurora was among nearly 1,300 freshmen settling in on campus for the first time.

“I’ve used two [moving] bins already,” said Lawson, a civil engineering student.

Shuffling around him were other students and their families, who carried UIC T-shirts and residence hall staples, like mattress toppers and mirrors.

Lawson couldn’t leave home without his PlayStation 4.

“I needed it,” he said smiling.

Kinesiology major Adriana D’Souza woke up at 5 a.m. to put her college essentials in the car.

“I couldn’t sleep — I was so excited,” she said, adding that it took her a month to pack everything.

“It might take a week to get organized,” she joked.

Lucky for her, UIC administrators, members of Fraternity & Sorority Life, student-athletes and others were ready to welcome students and help them move in. D’Souza appreciated it.

“I really like the community here,” she said.

Mhari Elena Delariman, who is undecided, is looking forward to meeting more people and what’s next.

“I don’t know who my roommates are, so I’m nervous about that, but it’s also what I’m most excited for,” she said. “I’m also excited for my courses, to mature and to gain more independence and to do things I couldn’t have done if I stayed home. It’ll be fun.”