The 2012-2013 theme is

 "and all to make a song for those to come..." 

The first year of college marks a new chapter in your lives as you join the Saint Mary’s 2012 entering class.  You are joining the rigorous and challenging world of academia lived out in a dynamic and diverse residential community that students have called home for 150 years. The 2012 Saint Mary’s First Year Experience theme “…and all to make a song for those to come” is taken from The Odyssey, Homer’s epic poem of a journey home and a cornerstone of Saint Mary’s Collegiate Seminar. Our theme welcomes you to our sesquicentennial celebration and challenges you to create your own song as you begin your new journey at Saint Mary’s. 

Common Reading

The common reading chosen for the 2012-2013 entering class is Lysley Tenorio’s Monstress.  It is a collection of short stories focusing on Filipinos and Filipino-Americans who choose to defy the life that history has willed to them, and instead attempt to make their own way in the world.  These stories challenge the reader to unfold the choices one makes in order to find their place in the world.  What songs will new students create on this journey?  What chapter will new students add to the legacy of Saint Mary’s?  Let the songs ring out!

About the Author

Born in the Philippines, Lysley Tenorio currently lives in San Francisco. Lysley Tenorio’s stories have appeared in The Atlantic, Zoetrope: All-Story, Ploughshares, Manoa, and The Best New American Voices and Pushcart Prize anthologies. A Whiting Writer’s Award winner and a former Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, he has received fellowships from the University of Wisconsin, Phillips Exeter Academy, Yaddo, The MacDowell Colony, and the National Endowment for the Arts.  

First Year Reading Residence Hall Discussions

Led by residential staff, residents engage in discussions about the first year reading with programmatic efforts centered on the first year theme. Program is intended to introduce students to concept of learning at Saint Mary's occurring both in and outside the classroom.

Learning Outcome(s):

Engage in College programs and activities.

Cohort identity centered on a first year theme and common reading.

Engagement with the concept of personal and social responsibility.

Engage in focused reflection.

Sponsoring Department: Residential Experience

Annual Author Visit

On October 10, 2012, Lysley Tenorio will visit Saint Mary’s College and meet with students throughout the day.  From class visits to sharing meals and a culminating lecture in the evening, Mr. Tenorio will share his talents with the campus community.