By Daniel Wilson

August 26, 2024

As the smiling faces of the Hornet Family filled the Main Quad on Friday evening, the sun poked through the trees, dissipating the gloomy skies and a few rain sprinkles. A light breeze wafted the smells of freshly cooked food through the air.

The changing of the weather was a fitting symbol for the joyous celebration that took place to mark the beginning of a new year at Sac State. More than 10,000 new students, their families and supporters, and other members of the campus community came together to eat, enjoy music, dance and mingle at the annual Hornet Nest Fest.

“Welcoming students back with our Hornet Nest Fest is always an exciting way to kick off the academic year,” said Kristen Tudor, Sac State’s chief of staff to the president. “Nest Fest is a fantastic opportunity for our students and their supporters to start the semester off right.”

Sac State President Luke Wood welcomed attendees and encouraged students to get involved on campus before introducing representatives from the University’s sports teams and Greek life organizations to talk about their programs.

“Events like Nest Fest are important for first-year students because we want students to get involved,” Wood said after the event. “At Nest Fest, we featured our clubs, our organizations, our fraternities, our sororities, our athletic events and more. The main thing is to get connected. Get involved in something on campus, because that's where you build the community that's going to keep you here.”

Befitting of a start-of-the-year celebration, Nest Fest guests were treated to a plethora of games, entertainment and activities. Sac State mascot Herky greeted guests while University Library Dean Amy Kautzman shot T-shirts out of a cannon.

“I think the turnout was phenomenal. This is the largest turnout in Sacramento State's history. That's shown that we know how to throw an engagement that allows students to express themselves and their individual identities. -- President Luke Wood

Food options included beans and rice, brisket with macaroni and cheese, cookies and various beverages. The Sac State Marching Band and Cheer and Dance teams performed as attendees played giant Jenga and cornhole. A dance competition was held later in the evening.

Beyond the fun and games, however, the event also provided new students an opportunity to learn about the University’s programs and services. Among the vendors and campus organizations on site were the Sac State Aquatic Center, Associated Students Inc., Hornet Hospitality, Xfinity, The WELL, the Alumni Association and the College of Continuing Education’s Paramedic Program.

Student Health, Counseling and Wellness Services also provided free flu shots, with co-master of ceremonies and Executive Director for University Housing Services Samuel Jones going on stage to get the poke to encourage the massive crowd to do the same.

Sac State Sustainability collaborated with its campus partners to ensure Nest Fest was a zero-waste event with "at least 90% of waste generated diverted from the landfill." The achievement is one of the University's objectives as it works toward its 2030 zero-waste goal.

Among Nest Fest attendees was Robert Russell Jr., a first-year film major who was inspired by Sac State alum Ryan Coogler, the director of “Black Panther” and other successful films. He had traveled to Sacramento from Indiana, accompanied by his parents, who said they wanted to support their son in moving so far away from home.

“Sac State was really the only school that kind of jumped out on paper to me, and all of my other choices were schools in the Midwest,” Russell Jr. said. “I just had to kind of go with my gut in the situation and pick what I really was feeling, and Sacramento State was definitely the option that I was feeling.”

Russell Sr. and his wife Bridget were pleased to experience Sac State’s happy and supportive community.

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“We've been impressed by Dr. Wood's story and just everything that we've seen that embraces the student and really tries to provide them with a supportive environment for them to succeed in whatever their future goals are,” Russell Sr. said.

First-year Kinesiology major Sebastian Andres Gonzalez-Perez, who plans to become a physical therapist, said he chose Sac State after touring the campus and falling in love with the trees and architecture. He attended Nest Fest with his parents Sebastian Gonzalez and Tania Perez-Rivera, who said they felt welcome at Sac State.

“I think everybody has gone out of their way to make us feel comfortable, not just (our son), but the family, and that means a lot,” Gonzalez said. “As parents who are leaving our kid to a university, we want to make sure that we're included.”

Nest Fest was part of a two-day flurry of activity that brought the Sac State campus back to life for the 2024-25 academic year. On Thursday, Wood’s Fall Address highlighted the University’s accomplishments during his first year as president and outlined the challenges and goals ahead. Later that day, the University held two Convocation ceremonies, where 2,500 incoming students, their families and supporters marked the beginning of their collegiate journeys.

New Hornets living on campus spent Thursday unpacking their belongings at the North Village residence halls.

• See Move-In Day photos in our gallery

Wood called Nest Fest a huge success and the type of event that is essential to student achievement.

“I think the turnout was phenomenal,” Wood said. “This is the largest turnout in Sacramento State's history. That's shown that we know how to throw an engagement that allows students to express themselves and their individual identities. We're a proud Hispanic-Serving Institution, Black-Serving Institution and Asian and Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. You can see us leaning into our identities to make sure that every student, no matter what community they come from, knows this is their home.”