On Thursday March 26, Tech Square was drastically transformed into a quasi-theme park complete with carnival rides, Hawaiian dancers and powdered-sugar-topped funnel cakes. The most appealing point for most college students, however, still remained the price — or lack thereof.
This year, the free Student Center Programs Council (SCPC) event was Hawaiian-themed compared to last year’s Las Vegas theme.
“Every year the previous chair has several brainstorming sessions at the end of the fall semester, and the committee develops ideas for a theme. You cannot simply choose the coolest theme. You have to also think about what works best for a design contest, games, prizes as well as other factors,” Matthew Samuel, second-year CE and the Festival Committee Chair, said. “After we make a list, the Festivals Committee votes for the best theme.”
Also differing from last year, the Aloha Sting Break event featured various activities and food dishes relevant to the theme. The event included BBQ Hawaiian sliders, traditional Polynesian dancers and carnival games to entertain the crowd.
“My favorite part was definitely the food and hearing students’ reactions to the event itself,” Ishraq Hasan, second-year IE major and SCPC Committee member, said.
Citing the pirate ship as his favorite ride, Samuel greatly enjoyed planning the event and seeing the ideas come to fruition.
“My favorite moment was right around eight at night when I could relax and finally see my vision come to reality. It was amazing to see it take shape and see the event run itself. My favorite part was just looking all around myself and seeing people smile and having a fun time,” Samuel said. “It made me feel proud to be part of such a wonderful organization as SCPC that helps put on such great events.”
“SCPC is looking forward to bringing another great semester of fun and engaging events to the student body,” Samantha Holloway, second-year and current SCPC President, said.
Next year, Samuel hopes committee chairs will push the bounds a bit more. He also feels SCPC’s main role is to bring the student body together in creative ways, and he looks forward to continuing that in the future.