Accompanied by the pounding of drums and the cheers of faculty, staff and returning Eagles, Eastern Washington University celebrated the arrival of hundreds of new students during its 2025 Pass Through the Pillars parade, held Sept. 23.
The modern-day march, which sees students pass through the university’s iconic Herculean Pillars and up the brick “Hello Walk” to Showalter Hall, mirrors the path students once took from Cheney’s downtown train depot up the hill to campus.
Constructed in 1915 using granite salvaged from the fire-ravished Administration Building of the Cheney State Normal School, the pillars stand now as a symbol of the university’s dedication, perseverance and unflinching resolve to rise above adversity to become something better than previously believed possible.
For the new Eagles marching up College Avenue and through the pillars, the passage marked more than just the beginning of their collegiate careers; it was a joyous moment symbolizing the beginning of their journey toward a potentially life-changing degree.
As the procession paused briefly at the entrance to campus, EWU’s Director of Alumni Relations Kelsey Hatch-Brecek offered an official greeting. “On behalf of over 125,000 alumni worldwide, welcome to the Eagle family,” she said.
Along with EWU’s 27th president, Shari McMahan, Kira Urbina, incoming president of the Associated Students of EWU, was also among the speakers who welcomed the new students to campus.
“I came here and found my home away from home,” Urbina told the incoming students, then urged them to find their own homes in student activities, clubs and student government involvement.
Urbina, a junior nursing major from Yakima, Washington, added later that her embrace of EWU came largely as the result of the “many communities” she has been able to be a part of on campus.
Hudson Royer, who passed through the pillars as a third-year transfer student, said he liked the sense of belonging that the event offered for new students like himself.
Senior McKenna Albert, who led Royer’s campus tour, shared the enthusiasm for the pillars parade and the Eagle traditions it represents.
“EWU is a part of my family’s legacy,” said Albert, who comes from a long line of Eagle alumni. “As soon as I set foot on campus, I fell in love with the environment and the people here. The community is so tight and so welcoming, and I love how family-like it feels.”
**Story written by Rachel Weinberg.
