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New year. New faces. Welcome home, class of 2026! It's a whole new world for incoming freshman who joined the Cardinal family this fall. Alli Gross, a biology pre-med major, is an incoming junior in the Texas Academy Program, an early entrance honors program for local high school juniors and seniors. For the Orange, Texas, native it's been an exciting journey so far discovering all that Â鶹ÊÓƵ has to offer.

Q: Are you a first generation college student/ the first in your family to attend college? 
A: No! 

Q: Why Â鶹ÊÓƵ? 
A: Â鶹ÊÓƵ offers me amazing opportunities while still being close to home. I never thought I would like Lamar as much as I do, but there’s something special about being away but close to home and in the same community. I love how I always see a familiar face walking around campus but also meeting and experiencing things I never had the opportunity to do before coming to Lamar. 

Q: In your opinion, what is the best thing about Â鶹ÊÓƵ? 

A: The size! Students can find mentors in the professors and I love that. Because Lamar is not a university with an overabundance of students, the staff is able to focus on making your experience the best it can be. I love how personable Lamar is!

Q: How has your experience at Â鶹ÊÓƵ been so far? 
A: My experience at Â鶹ÊÓƵ has been far better than I ever expected. I have been able to get involved in many organizations while still balancing my class work. Coming to Lamar, I was skeptical about being involved and finding people who have the same goals as me. There are so many Pre-Med clubs and organizations that have been extremely welcoming to me. You can really have your own experience at Â鶹ÊÓƵ depending on your goals and I have been able to do that very quickly!

Q: What are you most excited about for the start of the fall semester? 
A: Before the semester started, I was the most excited about experiencing something unlike I had before, to devote all my time on achieving my goals. 

Q: What are you most nervous about? 
A: I was most nervous about not living with and seeing my parents each day. My parents and I are extremely close and it scared me to think about not seeing them every day. However, it has not been bad at all. I have connected with so many people on campus and it’s starting to feel like home!! Do not get me wrong, I miss my parents every day! Being close to home helps a lot because I can be independent but not all alone. I still see my parents on the weekends and sometimes two to three times during the week. I also call them all the time, on the way to class, when I need a study break, or even someone to talk to while I eat! 

Anything else you would like to add? 
Q: Peck ‘em!!