Pejman Mokhtari
From fashion to food, from rap to poetry and from prizes to snow cones helped create a Welcome Day for the tall, the small, the skinny, the big, the bald, the hairy, and, of course, me.
Welcome day was a day where students came to eat, showcase their talent, educate themselves on clubs, and “a central area where people come together and kickback,” said Christine Nguyen, 20. The day was meant to introduce the clubs that are offered and to meet new people.
“It was great,” said Bruce Simms, host, “started off with alot of energy.” The music was playing, the prizes were being thrown out, which led to “alot of crowd participation,” said A-beni Ford, 19. People were cheering, screaming and why wouldn’t they? It’s all free.
Welcome Day was sponcered by the Spirit Spa with “donating a little over a thousand dollars worth of prizes,” said Jeanette Jessop, owner of the Spirit Spa.
Jessop donations included free facials, $25-50 gift certificates, free massages and coupons. “I try to be active and support the community,” says Jessop.
Outside of the Student Community Center were club booths for students to see what kind of interest they want to be involved in and sign up. The cupcakes the GSA, Gay Straight Alliance, offered for their bake sale were definately worth the calories.
Derek Toves, 21, and Jeffery Cravens, 23, both former students, brought their rap stylings to Welcome day in their group called, Ekklesia. “We bring forth the kingdom of God and represent his music.”
However, A-beni Ford, 19, was “bothered” by the “talk of religion” and that Welcome Day “had alot to do with God, which is kind of different.” Ford was, also, one of the models in the fashion show with “cute” clothes provided by C28.com.
Many students performed talents through music, poetry and some students brought their dancing shoes to the stage. “I liked Larry’s dancing performance,” said Nguyen, and “not only because he’s my brother.”
Nguyen, also, added, “The DJ could have done a better job and the crowd did not like the music as much.”
There’s a reason the food was free. Lets just say if Welcome Day was a crayon box, the food would be the ugly brown crayon that nobody ever uses. The hot dogs were wrinkled and cooked by microwave and the kitchen had food all over the floor.
However, for Nguyen, “as long as the food is free, it satisfies my need.” Most of the time a group of kids were running around the room screaming to hype up the crowd but the energy was dying out towards the end of Welcome Day and not even a respirator could bring it up.
The cheerleaders tried to bring the energy back, but the only enerygy was laughter on their performance. School spirit was needed, but not when the cheeleaders only clap and yell. Not even a flip.
With the steaming hot sun hovering on top of the people, at least there was air conditioning in the Student Community Center to cool them down.
The snow cones outside was another way to cool down, but the bees were everywhere, which probably gave the students an option of either enjoying an ice cold watermelon flavored snow cone or getting stung by 10 bees.
Towards the end of Welcome Day the entertainment was 4 students playing video games on a large screen for the crowd. Thats a great way to show the audience where all the exits are.
Overall, fashion was hot, food was not, air conditioning was the bomb, and the cheerleaders dropped the bomb. The whole day had its ups and downs, but think about it, college is all about having ups and downs.
So, hop on the this roller coaster, but e eat the hot dogs after the ride, actually do not eat them at all.