Wellesley College New Student Orientation helps students begin their transition into college and offers a sense of belonging at Wellesley. A full suite of materials is created each year, including:
• Graphic Identity
• Welcome Postcards
• New Student Guide (36 pages)
• Parents’ Guide (24 pages)
• Move-in Guide
• T-Shirts
• Orientation Program
• A variety of supporting materials
A unique theme and class color are assigned to every incoming class.
The 2024 Orientation them, “Courage to Grow ” came from a place of hope… to spread one’s wings and be swept into the current of self-discovery, holding tightly to the things that bring joy and releasing the need to be perfect.
The 2023 Orientation them, “Shine Together” communicates an inclusive sense of community that will nurture your intellectual curiosities, light your creative interests, and inspire dreams.
The 2022 Orientation theme, “Dare to Flourish”, features a stylized plant in various stages of blooming. At Wellesley, you will have the chance to Dare—to dream big and take on new challenges. And you will also be encouraged to seek every opportunity to Flourish—to learn, grow, and succeed.
The 2021 Orientation theme “Embrace Authenticity” features emeralds which shine with their imperfections and thrive on being authentically themselves.
The 2020 Orientation theme “Love, Wellesley” conveyed a sense of kindness, creativity, strength, belonging, openness, and empowerment, all expressed visually by the painted heart logo.
The 2019 Orientation theme "Thrive Together” is inspired by the collaborative ways in which bees build their hives and flourish in community. The bee and hexagon graphics convey a sense of friendship and collaboration.
The 2018 Orientation theme "Pursue Curiosity” is inspired by the active pursuit of knowledge essential to the Wellesley community. During New Student Orientation, students are encouraged to engage with new and diverse perspectives. The multi-faceted nature of low poly art conveys a sense of active investigation that connects one with something beyond oneself.
The 2017 theme, “Stretch Out Loud" is inspired by the resilience and bold beauty of the bamboo plant. Bamboo is a flexible, determined plant—one that sways in the wind without breaking, and yet grows steadily upward. It is revered in many cultures as a symbol of possibility, wisdom, and strength. The graphic identity communicates the idea that a Wellesley education offers solid support while generating growth.
Wellesley’s 2016 graphic identity revolves around the theme of “Cultivating Community”—the idea that students will come to Wellesley to build connections to the campus and to one another, that this is a caring community of engaged learners, that we embrace and celebrate curiosity and compassion. The graphic identity conveys a sense of endlessly expanding community, energy, and organic growth.
"Our materials showed the best of Wellesley—colors that pop and also reflect our tradition, clean design that tied all the pieces together, and a bit of playfulness with our friend the ladybug. As always, I find Ginny to be responsive, creative, thoughtful, and professional. A true partner in the work of developing a brand for our annual Orientation program. She makes it easy and fun..."
—Lori Tenser, PhD
Dean of First-Year Students
Interim Associate Dean of Students
Wellesley College
The 2012 theme is “Start Your Story”. The graphic identity conveys the idea that new students will join a community of scholars surrounded by new opportunities and resources. How will their story develop? Orientation is a time to play, pause, fast-forward, and rewind.
"Start Your Story” won 2 NODA (National Orientation Directors Association) Publications Showcase Awards:
• Outstanding Use of Theme
• Outstanding General Brochure
(New Student Guide)
Wellesley is known for the excellence of its education, the beauty of its setting, its gifted faculty, and the uniqueness of its campus culture. But most of all, Wellesley is known for the thousands of accomplished, thoughtful women it has sent out into the world for over 100 years—women who are committed to making a difference.