The Class of 2030 has arrived. The University of Chicago welcomed its newest students to campus last week, each of them ready to begin a journey that will build an intellectual foundation for life.
Among the newest cohort of Maroons are undergraduates that grew up under Montana’s big skies, have created music or even competed in sport on an international level.
We spoke with five of these students to learn more about them and what they hope to learn and experience during their time at UChicago.
Tyler Ferguson
Tyler Ferguson has no shortage of hobbies. An avid guitar player who has recorded a couple of EPs, he also plays several other instruments while working out and maintaining his ever-growing comic book collection. However, the first-year student from Troy, Missouri is most passionate about his academic future.
“I graduated at the top of my class, but I didn’t feel like I was really challenged,” he said. “So, I searched for an environment that was going to be most conducive to my academic growth and give me a place where I could get into the type of intellectual discussions and spirited debates that I’ve always wanted to have.”
UChicago was that place. While he has never been to the city, he’s excited to experience the melting pot of Chicago along with its museums, restaurants and, of course, local music scene—especially its venues that showcase blues and jazz.
Ferguson intends to bring his love of music into his academic plans by finding a speciality in the artform along with his other interest in sociology. He feels the latter subject can be integrated into any other discipline he might want to explore in the future.
With his desire to blend majors and interests, it should come as no surprise that he views the Core curriculum as one of the best learning opportunities the College has to offer.
“I think that you bring a little bit of whatever you're passionate about into whatever subject you're studying, regardless of whether it's tied to your prospective majors or not,” Ferguson said. “That is what makes the Core so special.”
He wants to make a solid group of friends that he can explore the city with in his first year. Beyond that, he’s thinking of someday earning a doctorate. But whatever happens, he already knows he’ll take UChicago with him.
“I want to take that spirit of deep inquiry no matter where I end up on my journey,” Ferguson said.
Brexton Fraelich
A native of Wakeman, Ohio, Brexton Fraelich’s graduating high school class was around 80 students. Needless to say, his UChicago experience has already been a little different than he’s used to.
“It feels like I’ve already met 80 new people since I’ve been here, but honestly, that was one of the things that I was looking forward to most,” he said.
Fraelich is a member of the Maroons’ football team, for which he plays wide receiver, but decided to come to UChicago because of the challenges it offers academically. He is leaning towards majoring in business economics but says the College will give him the chance to really explore through the Core curriculum.
“I’m super excited to take Core classes because I like learning about various things like geography and history,” he said. “Being with other students who have different academic interests and backgrounds will offer a lot of unique perspectives and learning experiences”
Coming from the “tiniest town ever,” he is excited to get to Chicago and see what it has to offer.
“Every time I travel, I’m always wanting to walk around each new city that I visit,” Fraelich said. “To me, Chicago offers endless opportunities to explore and make it feel like home.”
His goals for his first year in the College are simple—get comfortable and settle in. When he thinks further down the road, his vision takes him far after graduation.“I want to be able to use my experience here to set myself up for a long and successful career no matter where that will take me, and UChicago is the best place to put me in that position.”
Maria Li
Maria Li was born in Shanghai, but has called the Netherlands home since 2020. It was there that she began taking an uncommon sport seriously.
“My mom always told me that I couldn’t sit still as a kid, so my parents enrolled me in fencing,” she said.
Li had been fencing since she was 10 years old but began competing on a more professional level when she joined her current club in Amsterdam. Along with other sports including badminton and volleyball, she also plays the flute, piano and guitar.. She intends to stay busy once she gets to campus.
“I plan on being involved with as many intramural sports as possible,” she said. “The same goes for RSOs like investing or hip-hop dancing. Actually, I’m really bad at dancing but I like to try everything at least once.”
This open-mindedness is going to guide Li in some of her most important decisions on campus. Originally wanting to study climate and sustainable growth, she learned from her tour guide that students commonly double- and even triple-major. So, while environmental studies are still at the top of her list, she might incorporate computer science into the mix or another subject that grabs her attention.
All these examples help one understand why she picked UChicago.
“The rigorous academics and activities and clubs all really fit me and my goal of having a full and fulfilling life.”
As far as what she wants to get out of her first year studying in the College?
“I want to prove to myself that I can keep up and succeed at the highest of levels. But I also want to have fun and see the Bean so it’s all about building that confidence that I can have the best of both worlds here.”
Alexandria Myers
Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico but a resident of Montana since 2020, Alexandria Myers will miss “Big Sky Country” but couldn’t be more excited to start her Chicago adventure.
“There are so many things to see and do in the city, and that’s without even mentioning all the reasons why I chose to study at UChicago,” Myers said.
Myers plans to double major in molecular engineering and economics. She chose the College based on the interdisciplinary nature of the Core and the research that takes place on campus.
Research was a key aspect of her decision to come here as she lives with severe food allergies and was drawn to UChicago's Immunoengineering Innovation Center, which studies the immune system and new methods to treat those immunological issues.
Myers likes that she can further her interest in languages at the College too.
"This is a time when I can truly broaden my horizons,” she said. “So, taking courses that might not have anything to do with my career path with others that are in the same position will allow me to do that and add to the learning experience.”
Outside of the classroom, Myers tries to find time to tap into her creative side by sketching, specifically animals. She has worked as a teacher’s assistant for Coding for Kids, a nonprofit that provides technology-based classes for grades 1-12 in her area and volunteered at her high school as a unified partner for Special Olympics.
“It costs nothing to give someone your time, and volunteering has allowed me to meet all sorts of people and develop relationships and bonds” she said. “That, along with being a teacher’s assistant, were part of some of the most impactful moments of my high school career, and I hope to continue doing that on campus and around the city.”
Myers wants to discover new passions during her years on campus. Down the road, she plans to start a career in industry, research or academia after graduation.
Nola Sherrod
Nola Sherrod, born and raised in Los Angeles, is focused on goals both in the classroom and on the pitch. A member of the Maroons women’s soccer team, she ended up choosing UChicago because it was somewhere she could be challenged in all facets of her life.
“I wanted a place that I could explore outside of what I already liked,” she said. “UChicago prides itself on being a place where there isn’t just one way to approach a specific major or topic. I love that this place forces you to widen your view and explore everything.”
She applied as a biology major, but is now redirecting her focus to public policy. She looks forward to further narrowing down the direction she wants to go.
While downtime will be at a premium during her first few months of the school year, thanks to both athletic and academic demands, Sherrod wants to keep up with her hobby of making jewelry, something she picked up from her mom. She also wants to experience everything that the third coast has to offer.
“Lollapalooza is big on my list, and I hope to check that box off next summer,” she said. “But in the end, I’m just looking forward to living in a big city that has everything a little closer together than things are in LA. That and experiencing seasons for once.”
Outside of trying to win a national championship, Sherrod has one major goal she wants to accomplish in her first year at UChicago.
“UChicago has such a diverse community with people that come from all over the world to study here,” she said. “So, it goes without saying that I can’t wait to get to know my fellow classmates’ backgrounds, traditions and why they too ended up in Hyde Park.”
—This story originally appeared on the College website.
