There are 1,217 freshmen living on campus this year and on Sept. 2 most of them moved in. St. Thomas staff photographer Mark Brown asked a small sample of these students about the most important thing they brought with them.
Emily Larsen: Minnesota Wild coffee mug
"It was a gift from my mom and dad on my birthday. I've always been a big Wild fan and it's been a big part of my life. It just means a lot that it's from them. It means a lot because when I look at it I think of them."
Hannah French: Polaroid picture of the last time she spent with her high school friends
"It was from this past summer. I had all my girlfriends up to my cabin and it was just us for the weekend. It was when we were all sitting down to have a dinner. We wanted to have a nice dinner, but we just wound up having pizza rolls. It was one of the last times we were all together. All of my friends are super busy and we were all moving at different times. It'll be nice to know that they will all be friends that I can meet up with again during breaks and after college."
Joe Lemmer: playbill from high school production of "My Fair Lady"
"That was my last musical as a senior and it was a lot of fun and it was really meaningful for me. It was one of my favorite shows that I did throughout high school. It helped shape me as a person. This is the one that stands out to me as the most meaningful. It really opened me up to try new things and brought me out of my shell."
Maya Imoto: blanket
"My grandma made it, and I've had it ever since I was a baby. I sleep with it every night. I think it's really comforting. I like the smell, if that's not weird. Whenever I have a bad dream I hold it for comfort. I have really personal memories with it."
Maddy Morehouse: necklace
"The necklace is from my aunt who does a lot of traveling with her company. Traveling is something that I want to do and it's something that I found through her. She was kind of the inspiration for that. So, the necklace symbolizes that togetherness."
True Dabill: Fight Club
"I bring a book with me everywhere, which is why my girlfriend hates me. There's always time in the day to read at some point. I find that every time I don't bring a book, I always want to read. So, I always bring a book. If I'm stressed it gives me something to ponder instead of focusing on anything else."
Abby Westphal: safe-keeping box
"I did it as a summer project after all my other friends went off to college. I painted it to look all nice. It kind of holds special things about my old friends to try to remember them. It's a place to hold special feelings, a place to put them out without talking to someone and it can make you feel better somehow. It kind of just holds it all in there so it doesn't all seep out. It's the box to hold it all in securely. It's special like that."
Nolan Adams: pillow and quilt
"It's all about the activities and sports I played throughout high school and earlier ... baseball, wrestling, football and the Boy Scout bicycling trip we took from Illinois to Niagara Falls. My grandma has always been sewing stuff and fixing things for us. It's a hobby of hers. So, she thought it would be cool to have a reminder of home to take with me. This was my graduation present."
Tim Lyngdal: crucifix
"I've had a godfather who is a priest and I've been very close with him since I was young. He was very excited when he found out I was going to the seminary. The day before I left he gave me this cross. It's a constant reminder of why I'm here and to always do my best at everything ... in my studies and in my relationship with everyone and my brothers at the seminary here."
