More than 3,300 new students have enrolled at UML for the new school year, and many of them were seated in the Tsongas Center Tuesday morning to hear advice and be welcomed to their next chapter in life by former students, current students and UML leadership.
Gavin Robillard, a business administration major from Leominster and the UML Student Government Association president, told the crowd of students about his experience being a first-generation college student, and the responsibility that comes with being a student in general.
“That is why, once I got here, I realized I wasn’t just doing it for myself, I also had a responsibility to family, to friends and others like me who weren’t sure if they belonged in college,” said Robillard. “That is when I began to understand something important, not just in college, but in life: the power of being a role model. You never know who is watching … You might inspire someone to do something new, or to do more than they thought they could.”
UML Chancellor Julie Chen gave the new college students a little advice.
“While you will share a lot with each other, remember that each of your journeys is your own, and you will discover a way to bring what you learn in the classroom beyond the classroom,” said Chen.
Chen touted the university’s “career-connected experiences,” and promised that each student in the Class of 2029 would be guaranteed a paid or credited career-connected experience before they graduate.
The keynote speaker for the convocation was William Lefebvre, of Leominster, a graduate from the university’s sustainability program from the Class of 2024. Lefebvre had represented UML in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, during the 2023 United Nations Framework Convention Center on Climate Change, and after graduating he took a position as an environmental scientist with Weston & Sampson Engineers Inc., with which he completed a co-op as a student. As it happens, Lefebvre works in the company’s location on the UML campus as part of the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor.
Lefebvre called the UML student body “one of a kind.”
“But let’s be real for a moment, the world you are stepping into feels tumultuous. Uncertainty, fear, doubt and struggle are everywhere, and yet you’ve already lived through enormous challenges — COVID, political division, challenges and deciding what is next after high school,” said Lefebvre. “You have been making hard choices without clear outcomes for years.”
Despite the challenges in the world, Lefebvre said UML “doesn’t just talk about opportunity, it delivers it.”
“From local projects here on campus to a global stage halfway across the world, UMass Lowell gave me the tools, the network and the confidence to step into spaces I never thought I’d be in. And the same opportunities are waiting for you,” said Lefebvre.
After the close of the ceremony, and lunch, students attended the UML Engagement Fair to get introduced to some of the more than 250 extracurricular clubs and intramural sports teams offered to UML students.
Originally Published: September 2, 2025 at 5:04 PM EDT