![Cathy and Mitchell Paterson](http://www.uwindsor.ca/dailynews/visualarts/sites/uwindsor.ca.dailynews/files/styles/full/public/600_patersons_4349.jpg?itok=tDJ4JohU)
Students heading into residence for the first time Sunday described themselves as equally ex cited and nervous, and the same was true of their mothers.
“It’s almost scary moving in,” said Mitchell Paterson, who will begin studies in math and education this week. A native of Brighton, Ontario, population 11,000, he anticipates an adjustment to city life. “It’s weird to be somewhere really big.”
His mother Cathy Paterson described the experience of dropping off her youngest child as bittersweet.
“He’s my baby, but I am so excited for him,” she said. “Mitchell is going to make his mark.”
Beth Minaker said she will find it “quiet around the house” without her middle son Eoin, who moved into Alumni Hall from his home in Windsor. She said she and her husband, engineering professor Bruce Minaker, wanted to give their children a residence experience.
“You enjoy school a lot better when you’re immersed in it,” she said.
Amanda Roberts of St. Mary’s, Ontario, said she was having a “very emotional time” as her family helped her unpack supplies. She is excited to begin classes in social work and women’s and gender studies, but a little anxious, too.
She said she is fortunate to have a support network of family nearby, and her mother is a graduate of the University.
Tammy Roberts said her first-born is mature enough to begin adult life.
“She is so ready to launch and be on her way,” she said. “Amanda is going to change the world.”
Sunday’s fine sunny weather and dozens of volunteers helped to make for a smooth transition for hundreds of students taking up residence on campus.