Class of 2026 Brings Fresh Energy
First-year students excited about meeting new friends, finding a ‘home’ at SHU and trying new things in year ahead
Thousands of students applied to Sacred Heart University this school year solidifying one thing: a SHU education is in high demand. Ella Bankoski and Emilia St. Pierre can attest to this. St. Pierre was valedictorian at Mercy High School in Middletown, and Bankoski was Mercy’s salutatorian. They both chose SHU.
Bankoski, a health science major, said SHU just fits. St. Pierre, an education major, chose SHU because all the other schools she looked at in New England didn’t feel right. “I love being here,” St. Pierre said outside of the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. St. Pierre, 18, of Wethersfield, knew in November of her senior year she would attend SHU. “Everyone was so nice and welcoming … plus the education program made me want to come.”
Bankoski, 18, of Portland, said everything seemed to fall into place at SHU. “It’s the perfect size, there’s a great community of people and SHU offers a speech-language pathology 3+2 program. I can get my master’s in five years.”
The honor program students are roommates living in Mother Teresa Hall, located in SHU’s beautiful new Pioneer Village. They have a full schedule of classes and look forward to participating in the Stand Up organization, Relay for Life and clubs associated with their majors.
They said SHU’s program of events, welcome activities and first-year experience (FYE) classes made the transition from home to college easier. “There is so much going on to keep you busy, we just jumped right in,” Bankoski said.
What other students think
The resilient group of first-year students navigated remote learning throughout their high school years as the COVID-19 pandemic raged in the world around them. Through the ups and downs, they followed their passions, pursued their goals and achieved success.
Paige Szymanski, 18, of Berkshire, MA, is majoring in political science. She heard about Sacred Heart from a high school friend and when she visited, she “fell in love with campus. It was such a nice place, with really friendly people and a welcoming community,” Szymanski said after her class one morning. “I’m really, really happy with my choice.”
She applied and visited schools such as Suffolk University, Syracuse University and College of the Holy Cross, but SHU was her number one choice.
Cael Wellenstein, 18, of Cedarville, NY, is majoring in history and competes on SHU’s wrestling team. When he started looking at colleges in the spring, he noticed a lot of them seemed “very hands off.” During his visit at SHU, he saw the community was one he could fit into. Now that he’s on campus, his thoughts haven’t changed. “It just feels likes home,” he said.
He has already made friends with people on his floor in Roncalli Hall. After class, everyone can be found hanging out in the common area. “It just feels like this small community where everyone knows each other, and we’ve only been here a few weeks,” he said.
Wellenstein can’t wait to see how gorgeous campus looks this fall, but more importantly, he’s excited for his classes, especially the history-focused ones. “Ever since I was 4 years old, when I could use a remote, I always had the History Channel on. I just love history.” He plans to become a history teacher.
Chelsea Cuseo, of Westport, is a founder of an engineering club at her high school and can’t wait to learn and thrive at SHU. She applied to SHU’s 3+2 engineering program and is on track to major in math and mechanical engineering at Columbia University. She also hopes to minor in aerospace engineering.
Cuseo, 18, said she chose SHU for its great community, but “specifically for the amazing engineering program and the plethora of opportunities. As a woman entering the STEM field, I knew I wanted to be involved in a strong, holistic engineering program that would not only focus on engineering, but also the business aspect of the science field,” Cuseo said. “I really admire that this program is part of the business school, because I hope to enter the workforce with sophisticated business skills in addition to my math and engineering skills.”
Growing up, Cuseo was fascinated by space and space exploration. “With this passion, I was able to succeed in various science competitions and high school science clubs. My dream is to become a mechanical engineer working at a space exploration company or eventually create my own company,” she said.
During her SHU college career, Cuseo hopes to get involved in many clubs and activities. “Additionally, I hope to appreciate my courses, because I will be learning about topics that I have always admired but have never fully comprehended. I aspire to leave an impact on SHU whether it’s through academics, club involvement or interactions with faculty and my peers.”
Snapshot of campus community
Along with the class of 2026, the University also welcomed nearly 200 new faculty members to campus this semester. Many are teaching in-demand subjects such as psychology, marketing, nursing and accounting.
Students, faculty and staff anxiously await the completion of new residence halls in Pioneer Village, and they can’t wait to get inside the Martire Family Arena. The state-of-the-art ice venue located at West Campus is expected to be completed in January, in time for the community to catch a hockey game or two.
The new class knows what it means to be a Pioneer. Many students already proved their commitment to community and social justice as several volunteer on a regular basis with nonprofit organizations. Some students’ good work with the underserved earned them the Pioneer Service Grant. These students will each complete at least 30 hours of community service and engagement by the end of the year.
SHU’s dynamic athletic program continues to grow and gain notoriety. Just this summer, SHU football star Julius Chestnut was signed to play for the Titans. During the 2021-22 school year, the Pioneers captured five conference championships. Student-athletes show their prowess on the field, but they shine in the classroom as well as most have high GPAs, and many were named academic-all conference.
Athletics isn’t the only popular extracurricular activity on campus. Hundreds of freshmen will show off their talents in SHU’s award-winning performing arts program. In the past few years, SHU’s band & orchestra program learned from world-class professionals; the dance program and its ensembles won top awards in local, national and global competitions; the choral program performed globally and with famous singers such as Josh Groban; and the theatre arts program received awards and accolades from BroadwayWorld, OnStage Blog and Princeton Review.
SHU’s student ambassadors, orientation leaders, members of fraternity & sorority life, student-athletes and other upperclassmen helped new students move into their residence halls. They carried the first-year students’ boxes and bags of room essentials and helped them settle into their new home away from home.
“We know how stressful and overwhelming this day can be, and our students were there to help ease first-day jitters,” said Dean of Students Larry Wielk. “A smooth move-in allowed students to enjoy the rest of the day with their families.”
Pam Pillo, executive director of undergraduate admissions, echoed Wielk’s statements. “We are excited to continue to welcome, meet and get to know our new freshmen class. This robust group of students has much to look forward to.”
Sacred Heart has been strategically increasing enrollment and making investments to grow and promote its faculty, Pillo said. “We are proud to offer students unique academic spaces that ensure personalized experiences, and we work hard to keep the class size average at 21 students.”
Pillo added that faculty are dedicated to making sure students have access to internships and research clinicals so they can apply the knowledge they receive in the classroom in real-world settings.