As she watched a group of upperclassmen break into a flashmob-esque dance, Natalie Nielsen turned to a fellow then-new first-year student next to her and said: “I want to do that.”
And this week—for the third straight year—Nielsen was alongside fellow orientation leaders, or OLs, for the tradition they dub “boogie.”
Over the last week during Case Western Reserve University’s New Student Orientation, Nielsen, a rising senior double majoring in physics and education, has helped welcome approximately 1,390 members to campus as part of the Class of 2022.
This year, she took on a new role, serving on the OL executive board. Rather than working directly with the new students, she helped organize her fellow OLs—planning who would be where when and training them in advance of the new students’ arrival. This week, she oversaw a group of about 30 OLs, who each have their own designated groups of new students to support during their transition and introduce to all aspects of life at Case Western Reserve.
Nielsen fondly remembers showing new students the ropes. Even today, when she sees some of the students whom she led, they remember her. Oftentimes, they will pay homage to the ice-breaker game she used when they first met. During “Nature Names,” as Nielsen called it, students came up with an animal that started with the same first letter as their name and an accompanying hand symbol to represent that animal.
Nielsen was Narwhal Natalie, so they throw their hands up into a tusk-like shape in honor of Nielsen’s narwhal.
As she has helped guide first-year students, Nielsen feels as though she’s taken on the role of an older sibling. She enjoys having the opportunity to watch the students grow during their time at the university.
One of the bigger challenges, she admits, is trying to strike the balance between helpful and taking on a helicopter-like presence.
“You don’t want to lock them in a box of who they have to be,” Nielsen said. “You want so much to help them, but you have to step back and let them be who they want to be.”
Making connections
Nielsen fondly remembers showing new students the ropes. Even today, when she sees some of the students whom she led, they remember her. Oftentimes, they will pay homage to the ice-breaker game she used when they first met. During “Nature Names,” as Nielsen called it, students came up with an animal that started with the same first letter as their name and an accompanying hand symbol to represent that animal.
Nielsen was Narwhal Natalie, so they throw their hands up into a tusk-like shape in honor of Nielsen’s narwhal.
As she has helped guide first-year students, Nielsen feels as though she’s taken on the role of an older sibling. She enjoys having the opportunity to watch the students grow during their time at the university.
One of the bigger challenges, she admits, is trying to strike the balance between helpful and taking on a helicopter-like presence.
“You don’t want to lock them in a box of who they have to be,” Nielsen said. “You want so much to help them, but you have to step back and let them be who they want to be.”
