Welcome Back, Redhawks

The 2024-25 academic term is underway and welcome to the Class of 2028!

Fall quarter officially began with move-in day, when new and returning students settled into their new digs, met their dorm mates and said goodbye to family members and loved ones.

Then it was onto an array of fun and memory-making activities and gatherings, from the academic side with New Student Convocation to the Jesuit mission with mass at the Chapel of St. Ignatius. Students came together to get into “SU” formation for the class photo and got to know their peers—and start build their own traditions—through bonding opportunities over movie and game nights, team building exercises and more, all leading up to the first day of classes.

View scenes from the first week in this photo gallery.

President Eduardo Peñalver Welcome 

In a video message ushering in the academic year and welcoming new and returning students, faculty and staff to campus, President Eduardo Peñalver shares how as Seattle’s university, we are at an exciting moment in our history, with great energy and forward momentum in one of the most future-focused cities in the world.

The president also speaks of challenges that are ahead and how the university will meet them “with courage, compassion and mutual respect, supporting one another through these times.”

Watch the video.

Mass of the Holy Spirit 

An annual tradition of fall quarter is the Mass of the Holy Spirit. The mass, at Seattle’s Immaculate Conception Church, brings together students, faculty and staff of all faith backgrounds.

A longstanding tradition at Catholic universities around the world, the Mass of the Holy Spirit is an opportunity to ask the Spirit of God to bless us as we start a new year of learning and discovery. St. Ignatius and the founders of the Society of Jesus celebrated the Mass at their first school in Messina, Sicily in 1548. Since that time the Mass has been celebrated in countless countries, hundreds of languages spanning multiple centuries.

Here are some photos from the mass, captured by photographers Jakob Rushlo, Aidan Sales and Nodoka Kondo.