The Gettysburg College community is about to meet its newest members – the Class of 2016.

Here’s what we know:

• The incoming class will include approximately 775 students.
• They were selected from an applicant pool of 5,622.
• They hail from 28 states and 11 countries.
• Their first day of class is Aug. 27.

But here’s a bit more about just a handful of the amazing and talented students we are excited to meet:

Daniel Mallozzi, of Pennsylvania – he was a swim coach for the Special Olympics, working with autistic children and teaching them how to swim. He’s also a certified open water diver.

Estelle Reed, of Michigan – she spent 8 hours a day, 5 days a week excavating the forum of a third-century Roman city, Pollentia, located in present-day Mallorca, Spain.

Claire Moore, of Connecticut – she traveled to the Dominican Republic and Ghana to help build systems that would offer safer, cleaner drinking water.

Caitlin Madden, of New York – she created a YouTube Channel to post songs interpreted in American Sign Language, helping to bridge the gap between the hearing and deaf communities.

And who can forget the story of Senait Weldemariam (pictured, left), a New York City student who is the first person in her family, originally from Eritrea, to go to college. Weldemariam’s story touched countless people when her emotional reaction to her Gettysburg College acceptance letter was captured in a video featured on MSNBC and the Huffington Post. Watch the video and learn more about Weldemariam.

Class of 2016, we hope that you are all as excited to meet one another as we are to meet you.

View the complete Orientation schedule and follow all of the Orientation coverage.

Founded in 1832, Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with a strong academic tradition that includes Rhodes Scholars, a Nobel laureate and other distinguished scholars among its alumni. The college enrolls 2,600 undergraduate students and is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania.