ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) -- On the afternoon of Thursday, August 24th, the President of Elmira College presented his welcome for incoming students during a welcome Ceremony outside of Coweles Hall. Students from near and far said they were excited to get their careers started. 

"Today is going to be really fun, I moved in yesterday, so there was no one here yesterday, so there's a lot of people and we're meeting a lot of new friends," said Ana, an incoming freshman from Brazil. 

While the moment was one of excitement and anticipation for students, for many parents it was a bittersweet moment. There were plenty of good-bye hugs and tears as parents dropped their kids off.