April 2026 month in pictures

A person on a camel mascot costume does a worm dance as other students facing away wave signs and cheer at cars pulling not campus.

This mascot has moves! The Camel dances on the lawn as admission fellows greet prospective members of the Class of 2030 as they arrive for Camel Day.

A group of students, male and female, of color dressed in suits and dresses, with one holding an award certificate, pose for a photo under an arch or red and gold balloons.

Jordan Dale '29, second from left, is joined by friends for a photo during intermission as members of the African diasporic community at Conn gather for the African Student Association’s third annual Asante Gala and Awards Night on April 4 in Evans Hall. The event is an evening awards show to honor students, faculty, staff, organizations and clubs for their dedication and contribution to Conn and the New London community.

A bumble bee searches for nectar among cherry blossoms.

A bumblebee searches for nectar among the Japanese cherry blossoms.

A male student bows his head surrounded by fellow students applauding and taking photos seated in an auditorium.

Wesly Rivera-Nazario ‘28 reacts to applause as he is named the winner of the Outstanding Leadership Award at the inaugural Pre-Health Club Askri Awards April 10 in the Olin Hall auditorium. The awards are named in honor of the late Jason Askri ’26, a pre-health student.

Four female college students gather along a countertop leaning in to look closely at some small containers.

L-R: Madalena Crespo ’29, Veda Kiper Phelps ’29, Valentina Galvan ’29 and Nicolette Baksay ’29, all students in Associate Professor of Biology Taegan McMahon’s “Introduction of Biological Inquiry” course, gather data for their research project studying the impacts of sound waves on planorbid snail response behavior. Other research subjects included ghost shrimp, duckweed and radish seeds. In the course, students collect and critically examine data and develop the skills needed to communicate their findings effectively while emphasizing critical thinking, experimental design, data interpretation and integrated skill development.

A female film student with pony tail and glasses atop her head holds a large video camera perched on a gimbal as an actor looks a papers in a manila folder in a dimly lit hallway in front of a row of windows during a film class.

L-R: Katherine Chuliver ’27, Nic Sanfilippo ’27 and Aidan Harrison ’28, students in Professor of Film Studies Ross Morin’s “Cinematography” course, film a scene in the Stark Center for the Moving Image in Hillyer Hall. The course introduces students to the fundamentals of motion picture cinematography, including cameras, lenses, lighting and advanced grip equipment.

A group of male students, with one on left kicking a foot high in the air, play hackey sack on a verdant college green with granite buildings visible in the distance.

Students play hacky sack on Tempel Green on a mild spring day.

Three female college athletes spring toward the finish line in a 100 meter race on a blue track.

Blessing Kieh ’28, center, races to a win in the 100 meters during the Silfen Invitational track & field meet on April 11.

Two female students, one blond, one redhead, add snacks to baskets on a table in front of a sign showing a camel and the words

Lilly Moore ’26, left, and Bridget McGann ’26 restock baskets as they hand out free snacks to students outside of the Ann and Lee Higdon Fitness Center on April 9. The Fuel Station is a project grown out of their Entrepreneurship Pathway project, “The Importance of Providing Healthy Fueling Options at the Athletic Center,” which they jointly presented during the All-College Symposium in November.

A male lacrosse player in white swings his stick one handed at a ball on the ground as two players in black also reach for the ball.

Men’s lacrosse attackman Sean McCarthy ’28 battles for a ground ball with Bowdoin College opponents in NESCAC action April 18 on Silfen Field.

Four college students stand wearing medals as a member of the audience holds up a smart phone to take their photo.

L-R: Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows Job Zeisz ’26, Willow Lopez ’26, Kazi Stanton-Thomas ’26 and Mikayla Aquino ’26 pose for a photo during a dinner and networking event with Andrea Mendoza ’13, assistant professor in Japanese and comparative literatures at UC San Diego.

A man in a white hardhad and yellow safety vest gestures with his left hand speaking to a group of college students, also in white hardhats and yellow safety vests, while standing outside a brick building.

John Metcalf of the U.S. Coast Guard Museum Association points out features of construction visible from Water Street to students in Associate Professor of Art History and Architectural Studies Anna Vallye’s “Building Cultures” course during a tour of the construction at the future home of the U.S. Coast Guard Museum in downtown New London on April 8.

A female water polo player in blue reaches for the ball as opposing players in white surround her.

Maddie Baybeck ’27 battles for control of the ball as the Women’s Water Polo team faces Wheaton College on April 2 at Lott Natatorium.

An older woman with mid-length greying hair holds a letter stamp talking to a preschool student as a college student does the same thing in the background.

Margie B. Gillis Ed.D. ’73, the founder of Literacy How, and student volunteer Maureen Clancy ’28 talk to preschool students during a visit to the Connecticut College Child Development Lab School on April 23. Literacy How is a nonprofit that works to raise reading achievement through training, coaching and mentoring of educators. Gillis recently presented a $1 million gift to support the Lab School. The funding will expand access to preschool and support services for children.

A student performing on acoustic guitar sings for an audience seated around them on a deck surrounded by woods.

Skye Roberts ’27 performs an original song at the third and final Roots & Rhythm event on April 24 at Buck Lodge in the Arboretum. The event, which brings together student and local musicians, was created by botany major Pluto Shea ’26.

A student actor with slicked back hair and suit jacket makes a face while examining a prop plant that looks like a comical Venus Flytrap help by the actor in white shirt and baseball cap, as another actor in a tight black dress looks on.

Rus Feyzov ’28, center, as Mr. Mushnik, examines the Audrey II plant in the hands of Luke Weidner ’29, as Seymour Krelborn, while Callan O’Keefe ’29, as Audrey, looks on during a dress rehearsal of the Wig & Candle production of “Little Shop of Horrors” April 10 in the Loomis Theater at Gallows Lane.

College students relax on blankets and Adirondack chairs scattered about a verdant college green on a mild sunny afternoon.

Students enjoy a mild day on Tempel Green.

Four groundskeepers dig a hole to plant a tree by a sidewalk across from a college green.

Arboretum interns Milly Urbanowski-Womer ’29 and Jocelyn Kessler ’28 and horticulturalists Nick McCarthy and Anna Fialkoff plant the first of two Regal Prince Oak trees April 23 in front of Harkness House. The two trees were planted in honor of the Class of 2026 for Arbor Day.

Two female college students carry a banner reading

Lucy Koester ’26 and Astrid Jones ’29 carry the banner to lead the 19th Walk to End Homelessness on April 26 in New London. The walk raises funds and awareness for the New London Homeless Hospitality Center and is co-sponsored by Connecticut College and the Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy.