BY LIYABONA MQINA
This year’s Welcoming programme for the newcomers of Stellenbosch University (SU) started on 31 January but with most of the newcomers moving in on 2 February. Victoria Street was filled with cheerful individuals ready to embark on the journey of their lives.
Every year during Welcoming, the university, with the help of some SU senior students, ensures that there are different activities for the newcomers to participate in. These activities include the Dreamwalk, various socials with different residences and private student organisations (PSOs), Societies’ fair and Vensters. All activities take place before the academic year starts so that the newcomers can experience the fun and important part of making new friends, becoming acquainted with the buildings on campus, student life, coffee shops, etc.
The Dreamwalk, which took place on 3 February, was one of the highlights of Welcoming in SU. According to Corporate Communication, this is the fourth year that SU has had a Dreamwalk since it was launched in 2019. The Dreamwalk is an emblematic walk down Victoria Street whereby newcomers write the dreams they want to achieve on a piece of paper called a “dream card” and hang them on the trees along Victoria Street.
This marks the start of the academic journey of the newcomers of SU, as well as their first walk down Victoria Street as Maties.
When asked about the Dreamwalk, Carleigh Marshall, a second-year BA (Social Work) student, said, “This year was my first time attending the Dreamwalk, and I enjoyed every moment of it because I was part of the Hype Squad of Nerina, which made it more special to me. This is really an activity that should be done every year because it makes you feel like you really are a Matie.”
Sisanda Dlamini, a first-year BCom (Actuarial Science) student said, “The Dreamwalk was beautiful. The lights, the residences and the singing added something magical to the night. It was a great time to socialise naturally, and I met people who were so kind. The highlight for me was when we got to the banner that said ‘Your dreams start here’. I knew I had become a Matie and got inspired to make the most of my time at SU”.
