Qourtney Ringgold has been chosen as the featured student speaker for the 7th annual Twilight Induction Ceremony during the 1743 Welcome Days, which mark the beginning of a new school year at the University of Delaware.

The 1743 Welcome Days planning team organizes the event for first-year students and others returning to campus.

A rising senior and psychology major, Ringgold almost transferred away from UD in her first year because she had not found a community that resonated with her. Now a former 1743 Welcome Ambassador, she serves on the executive board for HOLA, which serves as a voice for the interests of Hispanic/Latinx students at UD. Ringgold also sings with the D-Sharps in addition to working at Student Financial Services and participating in her residence hall as a community chair.

Ringgold wrote in her application that it was important for incoming students to hear something real.

“They will have many ups but there will also be downs,” she said. “I want to be a testament to prevailing through those struggles and being able to stand there and say, ‘You can get through this.’ ”

Within her application, Ringgold emphasized only being able to enjoy the full value of the UD experience after she truly immersed herself in all of the opportunities available to her — and that once she did so, she found her fellow Blue Hens to be resilient, inclusive, helpful, and proud members of the campus community.

The seventh annual Twilight Induction Ceremony will be held on Monday, Aug. 27 beginning at 7 p.m. on the Green south of Memorial Hall. All members of the UD community are encouraged to wear their UD colors and come out for the formal welcome of these new Blue Hens.