Isabella Rodriguez hopes to discover ways mechanical engineering can help untangle society\u2019s challenges. Matthew Jordan wants to explore how politics can change people\u2019s daily lives. And Sara Horvath plans to pivot after 21 years in the U.S. Navy to study sustainable farming systems.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re among the 3,861 first-year students and 640 transfers who begin moving to campus Aug. 18, hailing from all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the Mariana Islands, and 97 countries.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Class of 2029 brims with a clear, and very Cornellian, passion to do the greatest good \u2013 to pursue research, learn across boundaries, seek out innovation and connect with new people,\u201d said Lisa Nishii, senior vice provost for enrollment management and undergraduate education. \u201cAs we welcome this new class of students, I look forward to seeing the ways they shape and are shaped by our community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Class of 2029 will be Cornell\u2019s largest ever, and 18% of the students will be the first in their families to attend college.\u00a0New students move in<\/a> Aug. 18-19, and\u00a0New Student Orientation<\/a> takes place from Aug. 18-24. President Michael I. Kotlikoff will welcome students and their families to the university during\u00a0New Student Convocation<\/a> on Aug. 19 at 3 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field, and returning students will move in Aug. 20-22.<\/p>\n Nikhil and Emil Damji competed in the Youth Sailing World Championships in Lake Garda, Italy, in 2024.<\/p>\n Move-in will be a family affair for Emil and Nikhil Damji \u2013 twin brothers who both plan to study hotel administration in the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.<\/p>\n Attending the same college was never their plan.<\/p>\n \u201cBut at the end of the day Cornell is an amazing school and we both really loved it,\u201d Emil Damji said. \u201cIt\u2019s really big, so we\u2019ll have a lot of opportunities to branch out.\u201d<\/p>\n The Damjis live in Kirkland, Washington, and have dual citizenship in the U.S. and Canada. They grew up playing sports, including sailing and skiing. In 2023 and 2024, they competed in the Youth Sailing World Championships for the Canadian National Team.<\/p>\n \u201cThose have probably been the best weeks of my life,\u201d Nikhil Damji said. \u201cYou meet such cool people from all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n They plan to compete as members of Cornell\u2019s co-ed sailing team.<\/p>\n And they\u2019re hoping to continue their passion for coaching athletes with disabilities. In February they volunteered at the Invictus Games for wounded veterans from all over the world. The interdisciplinary nature of the Cornell community could help engineer better equipment for adaptive sports, Emil Damji said. \u201cThere are a lot of opportunities there.\u201d<\/p>\n