Last week, more than 1,600 new Hoyas and their loved ones arrived on the Hilltop. They came from just down the road in Washington, DC, to the Philippines. They unpacked, settled in, met new friends and marked the start of their journeys as Hoyas.
Between hellos and goodbyes, we talked to families and students moving in about their path to Georgetown and first steps on the Hilltop. These are a few of their stories.
Sujith Perera and Roshinee Perera drove in from Ohio and helped their son, Devan Perera, unpack.
Sujith: I’m happy for him, and I’m happy for ourselves too. I mean we came so far.
We both came from Sri Lanka. When we come here, we felt like we lost all of our family and friends. I came to do my Ph.D. and she followed me. The very first six months or so we felt, I don’t want to do it. I want to go home.
But we looked into [our children’s] eyes and saw their future, so we got up and did what we were supposed to do. If we work hard and do what you’re supposed to do, we can create their dream.
I think it is happening right now. It’s real now. It’s not anymore a dream.
Roshinee: I think we made it [laughs].
Sujith: We made it and we’re happy. We’re so grateful. Thank God. He was always with us, to surround us and hold us and help. We never forget that.
Interviewer: Is there anything you want your son to know today?
Sujith: We just want to tell him we love him. He and my daughter, this is our life. We’ll do anything, and we pray for you and be strong and go be kind to people. Take care of people around you. That’s what I want him to do.
Roshinee: We’re so proud of both of the kids. Find the mission at you have in this world. That’s all I have to say.
Alejandra Catala (SFS’28) (left) is from Pennsylvania and Guadalupe Zepeda (B’28) (right) is from New York. They met on Instagram and discovered that they both came from immigrant families from Latin America who helped their parents navigate life in the U.S. The two became fast friends and decided to become roommates.
Interviewer: How are you feeling as you start your time at Georgetown? How did you two meet?
Alejandra and Guadalupe [in unison]: Excited!
Guadalupe: There’s a Georgetown Class of 2028 page, and people just post the bio of themselves and pictures of themselves. And you kind of just scroll through and see who matches your vibe.
Interviewer: Who reached out to who?
Alejandra: I think I reached out at the time.
Guadalupe: I was with my friend at the time. We were sitting in Starbucks, and I saw her message and I was like, oh my gosh, another Hispanic! Oh my gosh! We exchanged more details and found out we have so much in common.
Alejandra: We do really have a lot in common. Once I started talking to you, I feel like I stopped talking to anybody else that I was considering.
Guadalupe: Me too! I was like, ‘So, do you want my roommate?’ [laughs]
Alejandra: It was really perfect. It really worked out.
Thomas Fremgen (right) lives in Queens, New York. For the past 11 years, he has accompanied his granddaughter, Julia Arditi (C’28) (left), all over the country as she competed in sailing regattas – driving, flying with her and helping bring her boat to the water. This time, he helped her move into her new home at Georgetown.
Interviewer: Is there anything you want your granddaughter to know today?
Thomas: I’m very happy for her. I love her. I love her to death. And I’m not sad about it. Because I’m so excited. My wife is very sad. I look at things more objectively.
Julia: This is what we’ve been working for. It’s a culmination of everything. Years and years. So it’s exciting.
Thomas: Yes, very exciting.
Interviewer: Is there anything you want your grandpa to know?
Julia: That I couldn’t have done it without you. You’re the reason I’m here. I have a really close relationship with my grandparents. They’ve been through everything with me, every single step of the way, whether it’s sailing or picking me up when my mom couldn’t, getting me from school, being there for a phone call when I needed support. They’ve just always been here.
Thomas: It’s a matter of just getting the job done.
Julia: And he does.
Ayse Kocak has been a nurse for over 20 years in New Jersey. Her daughter, Seniha Kocak (N’28), is following in her footsteps, enrolling in the School of Nursing.
Seniha: I would see her come home every day tired, and I would say, ‘How was your day?’ She’d talk about the different lives she saved, the different people she encountered. It sounded super cool. I was like, wow, she’s saving lives every day. I wanted to do that myself too.
Ayse: I think I’m being a good role model for her, because she admire and she wants to be a nurse. Being a nurse is difficult and tough. She knows that part. I didn’t just show her the pink side of the story. So she knows also the dark side. How it is difficult. We are fighting with people for their own sake. You are satisfied when you do that kind of stuff because you see that you are helping people. Also our personality is very similar.
I think she will be OK.
Jill Figueroa (B’97) graduated from the School of Business in 1997. Her daughter, Alessandra Figueroa (SFS’28), is a first-year student in the School of Foreign Service. They flew in from the Philippines.
Interviewer: How did it feel when your daughter was accepted to your alma mater?
Jill: I was super happy. My happy Hoya heart had a full-circle moment. That’s exactly what I wrote on my Facebook [laughs]. It’s exciting to be here.
We’re coming from the Philippines, so for her to actually move to the other side of the world and be so far away from home.… I also came from the Philippines. I moved here at 17 and spent my four years here. So it’s exciting. Never mind the worry. She’s going to have the best time like I did.
[Saying goodbye] is going to be the saddest part of all of it. It’s going to be the most selfless act we can do as parents, but we’re just so excited for her.
