ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Students are returning to college campuses, with many schools seeing a boom in incoming freshmen.

It was a busy quad at St. John Fisher University, as the beginning of the school year should be.

“It feels like this is college, this is the college experience that – like, it feels like we’re in a coming of age movie almost,” Fisher Gaming Club president Jade Donovan said.

The gaming club at St. John Fisher University was one of dozens of organizations set up to welcome the largest freshman class in the school’s history.

“It’s great to be able to connect with people through gaming,” Donovan said. “And it’s really great to see so many fresh faces, so many new people on campus.”

Vice president of enrollment management Jose Perales says this milestone follows years of consistent growth, even during the pandemic where many other schools struggled.

“This year’s class, the largest we’ve ever had, is really building on the momentum of the past five years, or more, of classes,” Perales said. “Including during what you’d consider pandemic-impacted years of enrollment.”

His own daughter is one of the more than 650 incoming freshmen this year.

“The advice I’d give to the class is the same advice I’d give to her, and we’ve talked about,” Perales said. “Which is to take every opportunity to get involved, try new things.”

Jayden Wahl is another who attended an event with the Fisher Gaming Club later that same evening.

“Seeing people I know and haven’t met yet makes the first time experience the best,” Wahl said.

He’s always been a gamer, and says the club feels like home.

“It’s real high energy, which makes the gaming experience in this club better,” Wahl said.

Donovan says it’s great to see her club meeting normally.

“It’s really exciting to have the freshmen here, experiencing Fisher the way it’s meant to be experienced,” Donovan said. “And like, being able to get involved in the club and being able to actually go out and eat dinner in the dining hall like I wasn’t able to my freshman year.”

And while Jayden is here to study, he hopes the club is only the beginning of a wonderful college experience.

“I’m going into nursing, so I want to make my four years count, to be my best self,” Wahl said. “So that’s what I’m going to try and go for.”