By Andrew Amaya
Lower campus travelers through the College of Professional and Continuing Education courtyard may have encountered a trio of minions, a modern kawaii cat and a “light” and “dark” angel painting pumpkins on Oct. 30 for the Beach Experience’s Halloween Bash.
Also known as Beach XP, the Beach Experience event sought to unite students and celebrate the Halloween season with different activities, according to Addison Ganuelas, their student fellow and event coordinator for the bash.
“This is our one way of creating spaces for students to build communities,” Ganuelas said. “We try to put our students in shared spaces, so that way they can express their creativity while building relationships with their peers.”
In addition to being provided a lot of candy, attendees were were able to paint on mini pumpkins, take pictures with handheld masks and show off their Halloween best in a costume contest.
Among the attendees was fourth-year criminology major, Isabella Torres, who decided to join the event while walking to class with a friend.
“It’s a good way to bond with other students on campus,” Torres said. “I’m a commuter, so I don’t really meet people unless I were to do something like this.”
Socializing attendees design their own mini pumpkins at Beach Experience’s Halloween Bash on Oct. 30. Photo credit: Andrew Amaya
While some attendees perfected their pumpkins at tables, others posed for photos with their finished projects and handheld masks. Circling the tables, Beach XP fellows passed out candy.
By the end of the event, the table that was lined with tiny pumpkins was empty, while the courtyard was still filled with attendees painting their pumpkins, chatting away and eating candy.
When asked if she would recommend the Halloween Bash to other students, Torres said she would, since she had a good, relaxing time.
“It breaks the ice and you do something that takes your mind off of the heavy stuff that comes with being in school,” Torres said.
Fourth-year finance major and costume contest contestant, Abriana Meazzo, dressed up as Scaramouche, a character from the game Genshin Impact, with a touch of cosplay as a “modern kawaii cat” on Oct. 30. Photo credit: Andrew Amaya
While the Halloween costumes contest participants were viewed during the event, the winners were not yet announced. Instead, the winners will be notified through email once the Beach XP team reviews and judges photos of the contestants.
The three winners of the costume contest will each receive a Halloween basket with treats and basic college student essentials, according to Ganuelas.
From cultural, to academic & skill-building and community engagement activities like the Halloween Bash, future Beach XP events can be found on their website here.
