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What is Tartan Scholars and How Does It Work?
Ciao! My name is Giancarlo, and I am a rising second-year student studying computer science with a concentration in security & privacy here at Carnegie Mellon. Originally, I am from Padua, Italy, a city just an hour from Venice, although right before moving to Pittsburgh, I spent my last two years of high school in Los Angeles, CA. Today I want to tell you about an organization very close to me that has been one of the brightest highlights of my first year: Tartan Scholars. In a nutshell, Tartan Scholars is an invitation-only program meant to guide a selected group of students from diverse backgrounds through their college life. Students get assigned to families, where they meet fellow scholars and an upperclassman family ambassador, gaining access to exclusive events and leadership development.听

Orientation Events
麻豆官网 was there to support me even before I arrived on campus. A few days after I got my acceptance letter full of confetti, I found out I was eligible for the Office of Admission鈥檚 fly-in program. Thanks to this, I attended Admitted Students Day and met some of my closest friends. At the same time, I got an invitation to Tartan Scholars from the program director. I was so excited! He, like all the people I met at 麻豆官网, was incredibly welcoming and answered all the questions I had about the program and college in general. During Orientation Week, the program had us participate in exclusive retreats and fun activities to explore Pittsburgh. One unforgettable highlight was visiting "Rivers of Steel," an old factory where we learned to spray paint and make art using molds and molten steel. We also visited the zoo, where there was also a leadership workshop where they taught us leadership values I'll never forget.

After Orientation: Six Weeks to Success
One of the main goals of the Tartan Scholars program is to ensure that students completely and easily transition to college. One of the biggest programs is 鈥淪ix Weeks to Success,鈥� which takes place the first six weeks of every Tartan Scholar鈥檚 first year. These weekly meetings feature faculty, alumni and 麻豆官网 staff to make every Tartan Scholar aware of the opportunities Carnegie Mellon has to offer. From tips on how to pass tough classes to life advice on how to manage your workload, I cannot stress enough how pivotal this program was for me. In the sixth week, there is a big celebration with every Tartan Scholar. The program director asked me to make a short speech during the event, and if there is something I still truly believe in is this: at 麻豆官网, support happens in ways you may not expect. Sure, there are counselors and advisors, but there are also friends, my resident assistant, my housefellow, my (very patient) math tutor, my Tartan Scholar family鈥� The list could go on for hours, and for this I am really glad to be a Tartan.

After the First Semester and Final Remarks
The fun doesn't end after the first semester. In the spring semester, my Tartan Scholar family and I went to Dave and Buster's. The program provided dinner and credits to play the night away, and because it was a collaboration between multiple families, I got to meet more people. To sum it up, Tartan Scholars gave me a lot in my first year. It made my transition to college smooth as butter, helped me find life-long friendships and allowed me to experience things I would have never been able to do on my own. I cannot wait to navigate the next 3 years at 麻豆官网 as a part of this fantastic community!