September 22, 2014
“W” stands for welcome!
On September 21, 2014, thousands of new University of Washington freshmen and transfer students formed a gigantic W on the field at Husky Stadium and had their class photo taken.
The big “W”
Entering students stand together to form a giant W on Husky Field.
The W photo tradition began in 2005 as a freshman photo. In 2011, transfer students joined the photo. The W spans 80 yards of the field, from one 10-yardline to the other. First Year Programs estimates that 4,500 students are in the photo.
Coordinated by First Year Programs, the W photo culminates a rollicking Husky Kick-Off event. At Husky Kick-Off, students are led through a series of active ice breakers that get them moving around and meeting other students.
2014 freshman class
Preliminary figures show the incoming class will include about 6,400 students, with nearly 5,000 from Washington and others representing 47 more states and Washington, D.C., plus 38 other countries.