By Sarah Goff
Union news office
JACKSON — Union University recently welcomed 400 new students to the Jackson campus. The freshmen hail from 35 states and 10 countries and have an average ACT score of 26.2 and GPA of 3.85.
“We are thrilled to welcome our bicentennial class of 2023 to campus,” Union President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver said. “We pray that this academic year will be a transformative one for all of our students — that they would not only grow in their academic knowledge, but in their relationship with Jesus Christ.”
The freshmen will participate in Welcome Week Aug. 16-19, and the fall semester begins Tuesday, Aug. 20.
Addison Coleman, an incoming marketing major from Jackson, Tennessee, didn’t have to travel far to move on campus. For him, Union is a “family thing.”
“My mom went here, and she always talked about how great it was,” Coleman said. “I’m excited to make those same memories she made.”
On the other hand, Danielle Popson drove more than a thousand miles to Union from her hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona. Popson will major in business administration and minor in biology.
Union University
She first experienced Union several years ago when she came to campus to participate in a speech and debate national tournament. In February, she returned for the Scholars of Excellence competition weekend. In touring campus and learning more about Union, she was impressed with the programs offered and “just really loved it.”
“And I mean, let’s be real — the dorms are kind of the best,” Popson said with a laugh.
J. Bryan also comes to Union from out of state: his hometown is Dallas, Texas, but both of his parents attended Union. Bryan will be part of the nurse anesthesia track in the College of Nursing.
“I came and visited and fell in love with the campus and people,” he said. “The nursing program is exceptional, which is what I wanted to do, so that was a big attracting point.”
All three freshmen agreed that the one thing they looked forward to most is making new friends and experiencing new things.
“It’ll be an adjustment for sure, but I think it’ll be a good one,” Popson said.
