Ben Garbacz/Daily Mining Gazette Michigan Tech's first day of classes officially began on Monday. Students filled the campus between classes with many navigating the area for their first time and others catching up with fellow classmates and professors.

HOUGHTON — Huskies flooded the Michigan Technological University campus going to and from lectures and labs as the first day of classes began Monday. From students beginning their college education to those eyeing graduation, Michigan Tech students started their first official day of the 2025 fall semester under pleasant weather and sunshine.

Last week the students moved into resident halls and participated in local community events which introduced the students to the area’s services, entertainment and organizations to the students. Now students are involving themselves in their academics, with aspiring careers hopefully on the horizon.

Among the more than 1,600 first year students is Thomas Atkinson, a construction management major from Monroe, MI. Atkinson’s first composition class served as an introduction and he is expecting the class to involve group discussions and a lot of homework. So far he said the class was easier than he was expecting, though he acknowledged it was only the beginning of the course. Outside of academics, Atkinson is looking forward to partaking in outdoor activities such as skiing and the university’s career fair.

“I’m hoping to grow on communicating professionally with employers, interviewing and filling out resumes,” Atkinson said.

Atkinson said he is looking forward to Michigan Tech going more in depth with construction during his educational career, and expects he will learn about the legal side of construction and how the earth (soil) relates to construction projects.

One of many returning Huskies, Melia Austin, is a senior majoring in biology looking to graduate from Tech and move onto medical school at Michigan State University. She was able to take a tour with a friend who is an RA (residence assistant) at East Hall and see the new addition to Michigan Tech’s campus and classrooms currently under construction. While she is taking in some of the changes this year, she is also busy catching up with friends and preparing to partake in more college activities.

“I’m looking forward to just experiencing the rest of the things I still want to experience in college,” Austin said. “I have a long bucket list of everything I want to do here, so it’s getting shorter now that I have one year left, but I’m just excited to be really intentional with what I spend my time on and the adventures I have.”

Austin said her last year at Tech is making her need to prioritize what she is involved in which brings a new perspective.

“I think that it looks a lot more like really thinking through what I’m involved in and what it looks like to be a really dedicated member to the things that I want to prioritize and what it looks like to cut out things that I find are less important to me, and the kind of legacy I want to leave behind in college,” she said.