New Students Begin Moving Into Westmont

Orientation begins Thursday, Aug. 26, for the 384 first-year students representing the class of 2014 with the first day of classes Monday, Aug. 30. The incoming class includes seven National Merit Scholars, 65 students from the Tri Counties, 99 students of color, and six international students from China, Singapore, Philippines, Germany, Sweden and Kenya.

There are also 52 students who’ve transferred to Westmont from schools such as DePaul University, Whitworth University, the University of St. Andrews, Tulane University, Pepperdine University, University of San Diego, Pt. Loma Nazarene University, Biola University, Azusa Pacific University, UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming our new students to Westmont,” says Joyce Luy, dean of admission. “I have no doubt our new students will make valuable contributions to Westmont and become alumni in whom we will continue to be very proud. We are thankful to the many donors without whom many of these students would not have been able to make their dream of attending Westmont a reality.”

Westmont has selected four Monroe Scholars, honoring top students with full-tuition scholarships. This year’s recipients are: Daniel Ray, Bakersfield, Calif.; Kristabel Stark, Whitinsville, Mass.; Stephanie Brooks, West Barnstable, Mass.; and Eric Bateman, Renton, Wash. The students have an average GPA of 4.5 and scored 1500 out of 1600 on the SAT. The Monroe Scholarship is a four-year, full-tuition scholarship offered to a few exceptional and high-achieving first-year students each year. It’s the highest academic honor an incoming student can receive.

The new students will be among the first to enjoy two new academic buildings, Winter Hall and Adams Center, which were completed ahead of schedule. Westmont has also completely renovated Voskuyl Library.