Transitioning to college is challenging for anyone. A student typically comes to college alone where they’re immersed into a new environment surrounded by people they don’t know. Well now let’s put on the added layer of being multicultural, at a school that is primarily populated by other students that do not look like you. The Thrive Orientation program helps make that transition a lot easier. 

Students that participate in Thrive Orientation do not just leave with information, they leave with connections, friends, and a network of support. Students reported that their participation in the program made them feel more connected with UR and felt more equipped for NSO and the college experience overall in comparison to their peers that did not participate in the program.

Additionally, when students finish Thrive Orientation, they also have the opportunity to participate in the Thrive Community program that is designed to support multicultural students throughout their entire experience as a student at UR.

***This schedule is tentative and is subject to change.

Sunday, August 20

Monday, August 21

Tuesday, August 22

Wednesday, August 23

Pathways to Community

Staff from the Student Center for Equity & Inclusion sit down with the participants to discuss the importance of community building, especially for multicultural communities. In their conversations they cover how to find and/or build community at UR, how to hold space, and navigate community challenges.

Decoding the Professor

Select faculty members will engage with incoming students to discuss typical faculty expectations, academic standards, and how to work with academic advisors to ensure future success.

Student Health & Well-Being

Staff members from Health & Well-Being cover all the resources available to students on campus for little to no cost at all. Our panelists also address the fears and challenges for multicultural people in healthcare and what they're doing to support the community and bridge that gap.

Identity Table Talks

Students break into groups based on their identity and have small group discussions about experiences, empowerment, and enjoyment related to those identities. Afterward, the communities come back together to engage in a larger discussion about supporting the other communities represented in the room.

What's Up at UR?

A session for students, led by students. This is an opportunity for Thrive participants to ask the Thrive Orientation Advisors the critical questions about life at UR as a multicultural student without the presence of administrative staff. 

A unique component of the Thrive Orientation program is the one-on-one peer mentorship participants receive. Every student that enters the program is paired with an upper division student that will mentor them throughout their entire first year experience. Although every student is paired with an Orientation Advisor(s) when they participate in NSO, NSO Orientation Advisors (OA) support a larger group of students, are only responsible for supporting students through NSO, and may not understand the nuances that come with the multicultural experience. 

The Thrive OAs also serve as peer mentors, which are also known to participants as "Specials" and vice versa, because the relationship between our peer mentors and participants is just that, special. When a student is paired with one of our OAs, they have someone that they go to for support and guidance throughout their entire first year. Our OAs understand the nuances associated with the multicultural experience at a predominantely white institution (PWI) and college in general, because they’ve lived it themselves. 

Can anyone participate in Thrive Orientation?

Yes. Any incoming First-Year student to the University of Richmond may participate in Thrive. However, it is important to know that the Thrive Multicultural Experience is specifically designed to meet the needs of students that identify as multicultural.

Who are "multicultural" students?

At the University of Richmond multicultural students are defined as:

"Any student (domestic or international) with one or more (non-European) identities that are categorized as a minority in the United States in terms of their race, ethnicity, citizenship/immigration status, and/or country of origin."

Is there an application process for Thrive Orientation?

No. There is no application/selection process to participate in Thrive Orientation or any of the other Thrive tracks. All we require is registration for participation in the program.

Can I participate in another transition program and Thrive Orientation at the same time?

Yes. However, students that participate in more than one transition program will have an abbreviated experience and will miss out on opportunities like getting paired with a "special".

When is the registration deadline?

The deadline for priority registration is June 1st. The general registration deadline is July 1st.

What comes with priority registration?

Aside from having more time to be excited, with priority registration students can expect preliminary communications with Orientation Advisors and opportunities to meet with other Thrive participants virtually before coming to campus. The priority registration deadline also allows our staff to properly accommodate and order enough materials specifically for participants.