New Students Share Orientation Week Perspectives

Salus University recently welcomed hundreds of new students for Orientation Week from Aug. 14-18, 2023.

The purpose of Orientation Week is to familiarize students with the standards of the University and their individual programs, as well as offer advice on making the most of their Salus experience. The week’s activities are designed to introduce students to important resources critical to their personal and academic success, as well as provide the opportunity to get to know faculty and fellow students.

“It was a busy week, but I’ve seen a lot of people getting to know each other, a lot of student engagement, and a lot of excitement for the start of classes. They’re ready to go and start pursuing their goals in their chosen professions,” said Monica Scirrotto, MS, director of Admissions at Salus.

Here’s what some of our new students thought about their Orientation Week experiences:

Gurleen Kaur ‘25PA
Central New Jersey

"I really like the whole collaborating aspect. I didn’t really expect to be able to meet so many people from different programs, especially on the first day. To hear the reasons for everybody being here, and how global everyone is. I thought I was going to get a regular orientation like I’m used to, but the resources that we got will be very useful for my career.”

Blythe Best Raynor ‘27OD
Spivey’s Corner, North Carolina

“The thing that impressed me the most is how involved the faculty are and how supported I already feel. They’ve really created a sense of belonging and they made me feel like I belong here. I didn’t expect to be that involved and collaborate with all of the other programs and I really enjoyed that too.”

Samantha Varano ‘25SLP
Chalfont, Pennsylvania

“I came from a Big Ten school, Penn State, so it’s nice to go from such a big school where you kind of have to seek out the support. There are so many fewer students here — we were looking at the entire incoming class all week — and the support is just there. It felt really nice to me.”

Kayla Golebieski ‘27OD
Verona, New Jersey

“This week was really interesting because I got to meet a lot of new friends. I really wanted to create a social circle of people who support me and really like each other. I was able to do that this week, which I feel very thankful for.

Also, how driven the staff is. In the Optometry program, they’re very helpful, they’re super-involved with us, and they make us feel welcome. I feel like they are there for us. They said that if we need help at any point, we’ll have your back. And, I really appreciate that.”

Sydney Turner ‘27OD
Chicora, Pennsylvania

“I wasn’t really sure what to expect this week and I wasn’t really sure how much we would be with other classes. To walk in the first day and see this room of people was really cool. I really enjoyed the “Belonging” activity, that was probably my favorite part of the entire week. Listening to Dr. (Terrell) Strayhorn and Dr. J (Juliana Mosley-Williams, PhD, CDP, special assistant to the president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) speak. That’s such an important thing when becoming a clinician and I’m glad they are starting that from day one.”

Mariam Andrawis ‘27OD
Jersey City, New Jersey

“For Optometry students, we really didn’t have expectations because they didn’t give us any details on our schedule or anything. What’s surprising was that we actually had a lecture this week with one or two more planned, so we’re excited. Even though it was orientation, they did give us a little bit of what to expect in the classroom and how to manage your time, all the tips and tricks to being successful.”

Jaclyn Christiano ‘25PA
Roanoke, Virginia

“The difficulty of grad school did intimidate me, but I felt better at the end of the week than I did at the beginning of the week because of how direct the staff and the faculty were with our resources. They put everything on the table up front when we first got here. I didn’t have to go find anything. They’ve been stressing since we got here that there’s no fluff in this curriculum and I think that rang true for orientation as well. Everything we got was necessary. They didn’t give us too much or too little. I’m expecting that from the program as well.”

Anjali Patel ‘27OD
Hamilton, New Jersey

“I think that there’s a deep sense of family here at Salus. The culture is so cultivating and it’s nice to get to know everyone. Even though everyone is from different places around the country and across the world, it’s nice to find the similarities and differences we have with each other. Everything that we’ve learned is also seen through the faculty and staff, so I thought that was enriching and motivating, considering that we’re spending the next four years here.”

Alex Buitron ‘27OD
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

“The merger with Drexel was mentioned on the first day of orientation and I think it’s a great thing, especially for Optometry. Nothing is going to change for us, but we’ll have more resources, we can use Drexel’s library, its gyms, and other facilities. I think that’s a great thing for us, especially in the research field and residencies.

I had a lot of fun having the orientation with all the other programs together. I thought it was just going to be Optometry. But meeting other students from other programs was really great. Just today I met another student from O&P (Orthotics and Prosthetics) and I feel like I connected with him.”