Laden with boxes and mini-fridges, UMass Dartmouth students arrived on campus Saturday and Sunday to move into their dorms and prepare for the start of a new school year. The arrival of new students culminated in a ceremony on Monday for the campus’ newest residents.

“I’m looking forward to meeting new friends and getting used to college life,” said first-year resident Kyle DaLuz of Seekonk. While excited about the new venture, DaLuz admitted to a bit of apprehension.

“I’m nervous about being on my own for the first time in my life," he said.

UMass Dartmouth’s students body hovers around 9,100 in a given semester, and this week the school welcomed 1,460 freshmen to the campus who wasted no time in getting comfortable in their new surroundings.

“The amount of pictures I printed to hang on my walls is quite large, but I have no regrets. I need it all,” said Casey Arsenault, a history major from Malden, Massachusetts.

Andrew Brown, a crime and justice major from Seekonk, said he was looking forward to a little freedom.

“I decided to go to UMass Dartmouth because it was the perfect distance away from home, not too far, not too close, and I was able to play football here,” said Andrew Brown, a crime and justice major. “One of the biggest things I'm nervous about is not knowing how difficult the classes will be.”

To help ease the nerves of the incoming class and to impart some advice to the students before their first year of college, a convocation ceremony was held on Tuesday at the outdoor Vietnam Veterans Peace Memorial Amphitheater. The Class of 2019 heard speeches from faculty and guest speakers.

Chancellor Divina Grossman stressed the importance of being responsible for one another and keeping each other safe while on campus, especially during the weekends. She also wanted everyone to feel welcome at the school, no matter who they are.

“We believe that diversity in all its forms – race, ethnicity, gender, religion and ideology – makes us a strong university and a stronger society,” said Grossman.

The keynote speaker was Jeffrey Duchemin, a graduate of the class of ’89 and the president, CEO and director of Harvard Bioscience Inc.

He talked about the ways in which today’s college students differ from previous generations, pointing to stats that millennials are more tolerant, forward thinking and tech savvy. He also noted that today’s teens are more lax about casual sex and drug use than teens from 20 years ago.

“Your generation is sometimes criticized for having too much of an entitlement attitude. I have to tell you, I read a wide selection of your essays, and I didn’t see entitlement in those essays. I saw strength and intellect,” said Duchemin.

Prior to entering college, students were asked to contribute a 500-word essay about what they believe in. Grossman said that many of the 600 essays submitted to the project dealt with a strong belief in equality and caring for one another. Three students read their essays during the ceremony, highlighting their focus on compassion, love and teamwork.

In Duchemin's speech, he spoke candidly about his time at UMass Dartmouth, admitting that he wasn’t an outstanding student.

“When I was in school here, I was an accounting major, and the last thing I wanted to do was be an accountant. I just didn’t take it seriously,” said Duchemin.

“Had I been a bit more focused, I think it would have helped me out earlier in my career,” he said. “It’s probably one of the biggest regrets of my life that I didn’t take school more seriously.”

He said another feature that has been used to categorize millennials – the desire for money and fame – isn’t everything.

“Money is a measure of success, but it’s not everything. Wealth is valuable if you’re getting satisfaction from what you have to do to earn it,” said Duchemin. “I still ended up where I wanted to be, but it took a lot longer and was a lot more difficult because I wasn’t focused on my education earlier.”