Another school year is upon us. Welcome back to all returning students and a warm welcome to everyone new to the Brandeis campus. There are hundreds of people coming to this campus and we hope they appreciate everything that Brandeis has to offer. There may be a lot that you find that you enjoy about this school. You can take a lot of exciting classes that can pertain to one or all of your special interests, from ones about movies, politics, technology, history and more. You can enjoy the freedom of being in a dorm away from home. You can also enjoy some of the relatively decent from the many school dining options. However, one of the best parts of Brandeis that you will certainly appreciate is the community. The Brandeis community is a strong one that will provide you with some great camaraderie and a fun daily life. You will be able to meet so many great people at Brandeis that will be a solid part of your college experience. By this point, you might have already met some fun people, but that should not mean that you should stop meeting people. Same goes for the non-freshman. The next person you talk to could lead to an exciting new future or opportunity. If you’re sitting next to a person you don’t recognize in your class, say hi to them. If you like a piece of someone’s outfit, compliment them on that. If you hear about an interesting campus event, go to it and find people to talk to at the event (people who may share your love of events that have free food). The same can also go for professors. Try to establish a connection with them, as that connection could be helpful for your future. The point is that there are so many places to meet terrific people at Brandeis and these are the people that make up the Brandeis community. It is a community that uplifts everyone so that they can have an amazing college experience, so you should take every opportunity to grow your community. Another great way to grow that community is to join a fun club. There may be some clubs that you already know you want to join, which you absolutely should, but you should also jump outside your comfort zone and maybe try something new. Want to know a club with a great community? The Brandeis Hoot! We are totally not biased. Of course, if you want to stick with being a loyal reader, that is totally fantastic as well. We cherish all of our readers, as we make this newspaper for all of you.We look forward to continue being your #1 source for everything Brandeis, fascinating opinions, and fun movie reviews. We have so much more to bring you this year, so get ready for what is to come. Nevertheless, we are always looking for more people to be a part of the wonderful Brandeis Hoot team. Whether you want to write, take photos, design layouts, make social media posts, or do anything else that will help our newspaper grow, we would be happy to have you. We welcome anyone and everyone. You can meet many delightful people at this newspaper and help your personal community grow, along with refining a potentially useful skill through newspaper work. In short, there’s a lot you can get out of being a Brandeis Hoot team member. Of course, as we said before, we are not making you join. At the end of the day, we just want you to find an amazing community at Brandeis in order to enhance your college experience. College is supposed to be a thrilling time and having a strong community is the best way to make that goal a reality. Whether you are a freshman or a senior, we wish you luck on all future opportunities and adventures and we hope you have a wonderful 2024-2025 school year at Brandeis University.