New Beginnings: Move-In Day at CSU Pueblo

Day of Transitions and Emotions

The sun had peeked over the horizon when Isabella Villa and her family began their journey from Arvada to Colorado State University Pueblo. The caravan, consisting of two cars packed to the brim with belongings, embarked on what should have been a straightforward two- to three-hour drive. Instead, it turned into a grueling odyssey through a gauntlet of traffic jams caused by accidents and construction.

"It was horrible, traffic everywhere," grumbled Al Gonzales, Isabella's grandfather, standing in the parking lot at Crestone Hall. Beside him sat his wife, Melinda, stealing glances at their daughter Tammy, granddaughter Isabella, "Mike, just Mike" (as he introduced himself with a laugh), and Loco the beta fish.

Tammy stood by Isabella smiling with pride as her daughter fiddle with her ID. Isabella's silence reflected the bittersweet nature of this milestone. "It's exciting and nerve-wracking," Tammy confided later. "She hasn't ever really been away from me. It's sad but happy."

Families face mixed reactions

As they finally moved from the hot parking lot into the cool dorm, Mike, his view almost entirely obscured by the towering stack of belongings on his cart, couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all. "I think I'm going to break down crying when I leave," he admitted.

For the Villa-Gonzales family, this day held particular significance. Isabella is not only the first granddaughter out of 14 grandchildren to attend college but also the first to graduate high school. Her choice of CSU Pueblo was practical: "Partially because it's affordable," Isabella explained. "It's intimate, and I feel like it would be better for smaller classes and I can build a better connection with the people. It’s a better fit than a larger school."

Incoming students step into their future

The morning had been especially tender. Before leaving Arvada, Isabella had walked her younger siblings to school one last time, a daily ritual now coming to an end. Her little sister Emily had woken up in tears, not because of school, but because her big sister was leaving.

Isabella's story is just one of many unfolding across the CSU Pueblo campus this weekend. According to Monica Gallegos, the Director of Residence Life & Housing, hundreds of new students are expected to move in over the next few days.

Among them is sophomore Chloe Vanevera, whose meticulously decorated dorm room has become something of a campus legend, featured in residence life posters. Her space is a symphony of pink and dark blue, accented with white and featuring a light tree. "I feel having a space to come back to after a long day of working and classes is important," Vanevera explained. "If it's just a normal dorm, then it's boring and not very welcoming. I like warm and cozy in my room."

Vanevera, an English Secondary Education major, speaks from experience. As a freshman, she struggled with dorm life. "I had issues with roommates," she recalled. Her advice to incoming students? "Really communicate and listen to each other. Don't take people's stuff without asking."

The Logistics of Move-In Day

Upstairs, in the bustling Occhiato Student Center, a line of students and parents snaked around the elevator, all waiting to sort out meal plans and IDs. Alyssa Torres, a senior finance major working the auxiliary services window, observed the controlled chaos with a mix of empathy and nostalgia.

"I hear some of them chatting, saying that they are nervous and excited to eat at the cafeteria, and it made me feel like, 'Dang, I really went through everything they did,'" Torres said, including being happy to eat what you want when you want from the cafeteria before missing that home-cooked meal. "It's their rite of passage," she added.

For many parents, the day was a cocktail of pride, anxiety, and wistfulness. Jamal Bowen, father of freshman D.J. Bowen, reflected on his own college experience at CSU Fort Collins. "I always wanted him to experience what I experienced, being able to network and make new friends and form lifelong friendships," Jamal said.

D.J., who took a gap year working at a mortuary and then FedEx, was ready for this new chapter. His girlfriend, an incoming freshman on the dance team, and his friend from high school, now his roommate, provided familiarity.

The transition wasn't just about D.J., though. His mother, Ashleigh Collins, was grappling with her own emotions. "Once upon a time, he was the only child, at least for seven years," she reminisced. "It's time for him to leave the nest. Adulting is something kids want to do, but then when they really figure it out, they say, 'Well, I don't want to adult anymore.'"

After his parents left, D.J. opened up about his mixed feelings. While excited about his path to manhood, he worried about his 4-year-old brother, Amir. "I was the one that took care of him; taught him how to read," D.J. explained. "It's going to be a challenge. I think his biggest challenge will be just not having me to play with him."

Challenges and Triumphs

The move-in process wasn't without its challenges. A severe hailstorm on Tuesday had caused a campus-wide power outage that lasted through most of Wednesday. Avrianna Collier, an incoming freshman and dance team member from Aurora, had already been on campus for five days when the storm hit.

"It was crazy, and I don't live here (in Pueblo)," Collier said. "The storm and the outage were really stressful. More stressful on my parents because they were like, 'Do we need to come get you?' And it was irritating because the power would come on for 10 minutes and turn back off. It literally turned off as I was heating up food and I was upset because I was hungry."

But even this setback had a silver lining. "It made us get to know a bunch of people as we had to occupy our time with something other than our phones," Collier added. "I did get to meet a couple people; that was really cool."

For student-athletes like Natalie Hallman, an Exercise Science major and volleyball player, living on campus is mandatory. "Living on campus is easier for volleyball," Hallman explained. Her cousin, already a CSU Pueblo student, had encouraged her to embrace dorm life as a way to build relationships.

Dorm Life Begins

As the day wore on, the campus hummed with activity. Laughter mingled with tears, empty rooms slowly transformed into personalized spaces, and nervous energy gave way to cautious excitement. For Isabella Villa, D.J. Bowen, Avrianna Collier, and hundreds of other freshmen, this was more than just moving into on-campus living. It was the first page of a new chapter; the beginning of their independent, adult lives.

Back in Isabella's new room, Loco the beta fish found a place of honor on her desk, a small piece of home in this unfamiliar space. As the Villa-Gonzales family prepared for their tearful goodbyes, Isabella stood at the elevator, equal parts terrified and thrilled. The journey that began with a traffic-jammed car ride was far from over. In fact, for Isabella and her fellow freshmen, it was just beginning.