During the 2024 winter Welcome Week, 29 new students moved onto campus alongside 54 PSEO students and four commuter students. This year, 22 new students moved onto campus alongside 73 new PSEO students and 10 new commuter students. 

Nate Gustafson led the 2025 winter Welcome Week, working with three coordinators, Sonia Smith, Aiden Penner and Ella Boelter, to ensure the students felt welcomed as they moved into their new homes.  

Josh Sampson was another help during the week. Since starting his role as the Campus engagement graduate assistant in 2023, he’s been a major part of both the fall and winter Welcome Weeks. His love of working with new students inspires him to continue his position. He also enjoys seeing the new students connect with one another and creating fun experiences for them. 

 “[I] get to watch students use their special abilities and gifts from God,” Sampson said. 

One of the challenges the team faced during winter welcome week included the logistics of moving the new students in and making sure it ran smoothly. 

“We had to make sure with our team that we would be there to help the new students with their move-ins and have it go smoothly and have a good time while moving in,” Sampson said. 

Sampson is inspired by winter Welcome Week and hopes new students feel ready to call Bethel their home. 

“Seeing new students make new connections with one another and having laughs and enjoying each other’s company and the events that we hosted… that’s when we know we did our job and that inspires me so much,” Sampson said.