Drake University’s Transfer Student Organization, an established resource for transfer students, made its social media debut Feb. 5.
The group promoted its launch through Instagram, advertising a “Bingo Social” and later sharing photos from the event showing its members.
The online presence signals a renewed effort to grow the organization under a new executive council after previous student leaders graduated.
According to Assistant Director of Advising Alicia Hilligas, who works in transfer advising, the organization first began in fall 2024 when a group of transfer students wanted to create a stronger sense of community.
“I connected with students who wanted to get the org up and running,” Hilligas said. “They just wanted to build community for transfer students and make them feel welcome and connected to one another.”
The founding members laid the groundwork for the organization before graduating. Because many transfer students arrive at Drake with only one or two years remaining before graduation, it can be difficult to maintain consistent leadership.
“That is definitely a challenge,” Hilligas said. “But you can overcome it with other students who want to continue that organization.”
That continuation now falls to current president Yohali Ilunga, a senior who transferred to Drake from the Independent Institute of Education Varsity College in Cape Town, South Africa.
“As a transfer student, it didn’t feel like I had any resources available to me at all,” Ilunga said.
Ilunga said it was through campus involvement and mentorship that she learned how professors and faculty could support her.
Ilunga was elected president last fall and said she hopes to ensure that other transfer students do not feel isolated during their transition.
“TSO is important to me because I know how a person can feel invisible despite being surrounded by so many people,” Ilunga said. “My personal goal was to be a peer that incoming students could find comfort in.”
Transfer students often enter a campus environment with existing connections formed through the shared experience of First-Year Seminars and residence hall communities.
“When you come in as a freshman, everybody else is new and they don’t know each other,” Hilligas said. “When you come in as a transfer, it’s a little bit more challenging because those friendships are already established.”
Senior Riley Klein, who transferred to Drake from Montana Technological University after his freshman year, said he experienced that challenge firsthand.
“My experience as a transfer student has seemed almost like an outcast, as any cliques of friend groups are already well established from prior years,” Klein said.
However, Klein said organizations like TSO can help bridge that gap.
“It’s been helpful for me to connect with others who have a similar experience of coming to a new college campus where you hardly know anyone,” Klein said.
Hilligas added that many transfer students are commuters or balancing additional responsibilities such as jobs or family obligations, which can make involvement more difficult. She encourages transfer students to seek out organizations and campus opportunities to build connections.
“If you’re going to be a transfer student, this is one of the best schools to transfer to,” Hilligas said. “But make sure that you participate in organizations and do what you can do to be connected.”
TSO is open not only to transfer students, but also to students who want to support the transfer community. As the new executive council works to expand its reach, leaders say their goal remains focused on visibility, connection and ensuring transfer students feel seen on campus.
With its renewed social media presence and continued programming, TSO aims to provide transfer students with the same sense of belonging that many first-year students build from day one.
