Tech’s Student Center Programs Council (SCPC) is known for hosting a variety of fun social events and gatherings throughout the year for students.
One such event that is greatly enjoyed by Tech students every year is GT Night at the Aquarium.
Similar to GT Night at Six Flags, GT Night at the Aquarium allows students, faculty, staff and guests to explore the aquarium’s many exhibits and attractions after traditional business hours.
SCPC is able to provide tickets at a discounted rate, making it a more affordable off-campus event.
The Technique reached out to attendees of the event, including Akshita Jha, first-year BMED who happened to be celebrating a different occasion the same night.
“GT Night at the Aquarium was great as it was my birthday on that night so I got to enjoy it with a couple of really close friends outside of campus. And it was just a really good break from
academic work and just the rigorous academic life at Georgia Tech,” Jha said.
Other attendees agreed that the event served as a much-needed break from midterm season.
“I had many midterms at the time, so it was a good time for me to go to the aquarium right after midterms were done. Just like a night out with friends was very calming and nice, and I think it was a good experience,” said Amrutha Balla, first-year CS.
Balla’s favorite exhibit was the Ocean Voyager, one of the world’s largest single aquatic exhibits which is impressive.
“There’s a sitting area in front of a huge wall with glass and you can see all the animals. I think that was my favorite part because you can just sit, relax, see all of the different fish and just calmly enjoy it without having to walk around. It’s where most people were sitting that day towards the end of the aquarium night, just lying down and chilling out, taking pictures,” Balla said.
This year’s event also included the opportunity for visitors to watch either the Dolphin Show or the Sea Lion Presentation during their time at the aquarium.
Jha attended the Dolphin Show and found it to be an engaging and informative experience.
“I’ve never seen any kind of a show like the Dolphin Show before, and it was great learning about how they train the dolphins, and just how they domesticate dolphins to essentially provide a conservative environment for them. I really enjoyed it,” said Jha.
Another new experience for many out-of-state and international students was visiting one of the largest aquariums in the world for the first time.
“It’s my first time being in Georgia, and last semester in August and September because of classes and all, I didn’t really get to explore Atlanta very well.” Jha said about the past semester.
For many, the event presented a perfect opportunity explore more of the vast and diverse city that they may no know very well.
“I was just cooped up around campus, so I barely went off campus. So, it was great going off-campus and sightseeing in a way which I should have done the first time I came here. Going to the aquarium, I finally got the opportunity to do that,” Jha said.
In all, the event’s assortment of activities and focus on community bonding make it a fan-favorite among Tech students each year.
“Most of the time here at Tech, we’re just going on with our busy schedules with little time to spend with friends and things like that. So having a night out to go to the aquarium I think is great because you get to spend time with your friends, and if you have any family that came, it was great to spend time with family. Also, just strolling around the aquarium, you would see so many familiar faces so it’s like you’re catching up with so many people while
having fun,” Balla said.