- August 31, 2026
- By John Tucker
When Kennedy Holmes started crying on the first day of kindergarten, classmate Kennedy Smith approached her and said, “You don’t have to be sad. We have the same name.” Thirteen years later, the Kennedys are celebrating another first day of school together, this time as Terp freshman roommates.
“We were chatting in bed all last night, and I told her we need to bring positive energy, since we’re like sisters and do sometimes argue,” said Smith, named after the country’s 35th president.
“I said yes, we have to stay calm,” said Holmes, whose mom chose the name because it sounded pretty.
Holmes and Smith were among the more than 9,200 students who moved into University of Maryland residence halls last week during Fall Welcome in preparation for Monday’s start of the 2026-27 academic year.
For days, excited students, emotional parents and bins stuffed with clothes, linens, posters and Red Bull cases all poured out of a caravan of vehicles. During the evenings and on the weekend, the new first-year students were encouraged to get to know each other at a dizzying array of events sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs: game nights, cosmic bowling, bingo, movies, karaoke, FreeFest and an outdoor concert.
Resident Life and Maryland Athletics hosted Welcome to the B1G Show for incoming students on Friday, and the No. 4 men’s soccer team drew over 5,000 fans on Saturday night for the team’s victory over No. 9 High Point.
“Our Resident Life team was thrilled to welcome our Terps to campus! The energy and excitement were everywhere as new Terps jumped into welcome programs, explored campus and began building their Maryland community,” said Dennis Passarella-George, director of resident life. “From making new friends to discovering ways to get involved, their enthusiasm and engagement made this move-in and Fall Welcome so special. We are excited to see how they continue to make their mark at UMD.”
Back at Johnson-Whittle, Smith and Holmes passed the speakers blaring “Hamilton” tunes and upperclassmen there to welcome them, then eagerly strode past their new door, affixed with stickers that read “Kennedy S.” and “Kennedy H.”
They predicted that the significance of becoming Terps would sink in well before classes, when a few bags were unpacked, their parents gone and the sun set over campus.
“We’ll be starting another journey together,” Holmes said.
Longtime friends Kennedy Smith ’30 (left) and Kennedy Holmes ’30 unpack in their room in Johnson-Whittle Hall. (Photo by Dylan Singleton)
Members of the Black Student Union dance with Testudo on Thursday in front of Johnson-Whittle Hall, when first-year students in living-learning programs began moving in. (Photo by Dylan Singleton)
The area outside Hagerstown Hall was hopping on Thursday as freshmen, with their families, unloaded their belongings and hauled them inside. (Photo by Dylan Singleton)
Alexei Elliott (left) and Tatiana Delgado (right), new students in College Park Scholars’ Environment, Technology and Economy program, pick pumpkins at Terp Farm in Upper Marlboro on Friday as part of Scholars’ annual Service Day. The tradition goes back more than 25 years and brings together new students in its living-learning programs to Do Good through supporting local food banks, removing invasive plants at local parks and cleaning neighboring schools. (Photo by Dylan Singleton)
Ivan Kozhukhov, ‘30 (left) and Andrew Lahens, ‘30 (right), part of Scholars’ Science and Global Change Service Day, pull weeds at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in northeast Washington, D.C., on Friday. (Photo by Stephanie S. Cordle)
First-year students in the Honors Global Challenges and Solutions program take a selfie with the Capitol in the background. They were playing a version of “The Amazing Race” that sent them as teams all over Washington, D.C., to solve challenges and start building friendships. (Photo by Dylan Singleton)
Terps flock to McKeldin Mall on Saturday for FreeFest, an outdoor festival on campus featuring a deejay, mini golf, games and giveaways. (Photo by Dylan Singleton)
Jacob Herrera ‘27 (right) plays mini golf on McKeldin Mall during FreeFest. (Photo by Dylan Singleton)
FreshCon 2026 announcers Alex Saxton, ‘27 (far right on stage) and Elaina Magnum ‘27 (second from right on stage) dance during a hometown callout segment of the event focused on Black students in the Stamp’s Grand Ballroom on Saturday. (Photo by Stephanie S. Cordle)
Students check out new “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” x UMD T-shirts and hoodies that debuted during the University Book Center Welcome Event on Saturday. The new line of merchandise celebrates the book series created by UMD graduate Jeff Kinney ’93. (Photo by Stephanie S. Cordle)
Student Entertainment Events (SEE) hosted Samia as the headliner of its fall welcome concert, Moonlit Music on Saturday in the Nyumburu Amphitheater. (Photo by Stephanie S. Cordle)
Members of the Class of 2030, wearing their new red community shirts, participate in Welcome to the B1G Show on Friday at SECU Stadium, where they learned UMD cheers, songs and traditions. (Photo by Allison Mize/University of Maryland Athletics)