A cool, breezy evening set the perfect backdrop for the culmination of orientation festivities — Illinois Sights & Sounds. The excitement of the evening was palpable as the I-L-L chant echoed through Grange Grove and incoming students streamed into Memorial Stadium.
Sights & Sounds is a dynamic event that introduces incoming first-year students to the Illini family in an evening filled with songs, dance and University traditions that have spanned decades.
Led by Student Alumni Ambassadors, Sights & Sounds proved to be the perfect opportunity for students to immerse themselves in Illinois spirit.
“We are just helping people get excited about Welcome Week, get excited about college life in general and just enjoy Sights & Sounds,” said Hridik Hingorani, a junior in Engineering and orientation leader with New Student & Family Experiences.
Music blared from the speakers as students filed into the bleachers, a vibrant sea of orange forming amidst the gray sky. A DJ shouted into a microphone over a mix of some of today’s most popular songs, energizing new students for what promised to be a memorable night in their college beginnings.
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While most students in the crowd were freshmen or transfer students, the event remained open to all students wanting to embrace the Illini spirit.
“I’m just here for the fun,” said Aiden Curry, sophomore in ACES. “I just want to return to listen to the music because I really love the college life, so I’m just glad to be back.”
Providing the beat for Curry to march to was the Marching Illini, directed by Barry Houser. Alongside other campus spirit organizations, including Orange Krush, Block I, the Illinettes and Illini Cheer, Houser guided students in a series of chants and songs to prepare them for the upcoming football season.
The evening also included rallying speeches from women’s volleyball head coach Chris Tamas, women’s basketball head coach Shauna Green and football head coach Bret Bielema. Each coach shared their hopes for the season and encouraged students to attend their respective games and support their hard-working athletes.
The crowd cheered as first-year student-athletes waved and threw shirts, further embracing the University’s athletic identity.
As music blared from the speakers, the cheerleaders waved their orange and blue pompoms in the air, flashing bright white smiles as they moved perfectly in sync with their fluid choreography.
Students were encouraged to get on their feet and participate in some of the University’s most treasured traditions throughout the evening. Dances like “Low Brass” and “William Tell” encouraged even the most reluctant of people to stand up and embody the University spirit.
“It shows how the community is and how everyone’s together,” said Sherlinn Mancilla, a freshman in ACES.
Blue and orange beach balls bounced in the air, and T-shirts shot into the bleachers, offering a fun, lighthearted environment where students could let loose and get to know one another.
Throughout the evening, the I-L-L chant thundered throughout the stands, showing just how much Illini pride the new students had.
