Meet the Students: Orientation Leaders

Each summer in August, a special group of Curtis students comes together to welcome their new colleagues to Philadelphia as New Student Orientation (NSO) begins. Curtis’s orientation leaders return to school early to fulfill an important role. Many of them were incoming students themselves only a year before, and all are well-equipped to help new students find campus resources, show them how to get around the city, and make sure every new student is on track as orientation events unfold.

Most important, orientation leaders serve as the first introduction to the Curtis family, embodying the supportive, collaborative environment students will experience over their next few years.

Voice student Hannah Klein is committed to her role as an orientation leader, recalling her own first weeks on campus. “I remember being 18, wide-eyed, and simultaneously excited and terrified,” she says. “I distinctly recall seeing the jocular rapport the leaders had with each other and thinking, ‘Wow, I can’t wait to be a part of this.'” Introducing new students to the Curtis family is Hannah’s primary motivation as an orientation leader, and she enjoys “being able to rally and witness the collective enthusiasm of the leaders welcoming the new students.”

Again Hannah references her initial impressions as a new student a couple of years ago. “The community I saw made the terror of coming to a school where people perform at such a high level so much less scary, and that is what I hope to be able to offer to new students.”

Now that the school year is underway, all of our orientation leaders will return to their busy musical lives—practicing, performing, and studying. But for several of them, mid-August 2020 is already penciled into their calendar as an opportunity to meet and welcome the next class of brand-new students.