New and returning ESU students welcomed to campus

Carts packed with the essentials rolled along the sidewalks of East Stroudsburg University as a total of 2,690 residential students moved into their homes away from last week.

Like many students weighing what to bring and what to leave behind, Gabriela Pifano, a criminal justice major from Kearny, N.J., showed up to campus with a car-full of must-have belongings, but said there was no shortage of student volunteers to help make the unloading process much easier.

“I was moving things in and out of nowhere 15 people showed up and helped me move all my things to my room,” Pifano said.

Destiney Uribe and Hayley Johnson were among the numerous Warrior volunteers assisting students and families by giving directions, carrying boxes and answering questions.

“Just keeping a positive energy has been my way of keeping everyone else feeling positive,” Johnson, an early childhood and special education major, said. “The day can be stressful, so we’re just here to make it easier on everyone.”

Uribe, a resident assistant on the second floor of Sycamore and a double-major in criminal justice and psychology, said she was excited to see how many more students volunteered during move-in since she arrived on campus in 2021.

“Now that we have a bigger team, it feels better organized and that is making a big difference,” Uribe said.

Elsewhere in Sycamore, Kayla Leibensperger, a first-year business major from Bethlehem, Pa., was still settling in, but wasted no time getting to know fellow members of the Class of 2029.

“Everyone’s been super welcoming, and I already went to a group hangout where I met a bunch of people,” she said.

Giovanni Huertero, from Wilkes-Barre, Pa., enrolled at ESU to pursue a career in physical education. Now that he is moved into his room in Hawthorn Suites, he is excited to turn his attention to his number one goal: graduating with a college degree.

“I’m nervous but I know what I’m capable of and what I want to do, so I’m coming in confident,” he said.