The Office of International Education hosted its annual Halloween costume party to get students into the Halloween spirit by displaying their costumes to their community.
With over 30 students attending the party, everyone got the opportunity to vibe, dance and enjoy the judgment-free environment before the costume competition took place. The party was hosted at the Interdisciplinary Resource Center, and took place on Friday, Oct. 24, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Immigration and Student Service Coordinator Yue Moua enjoyed being the main host of the event and allowing students to celebrate the holiday, especially those who don’t normally celebrate Halloween in their cultures.
“It means a lot in terms of fun,” Moua said. “It’s something that’s American culture since Halloween is an unofficial holiday in some places. For a lot of these kids, Halloween is not really big in their country. For them, it’s like watching a movie, but here they’re actually doing it by dressing up as something unique and special.”
Moua also expressed the importance of celebrating Halloween while students are at college.
“You’re only a student once in your life,” Moua said. “You’re never going to be this young ever again. I think Halloween as a college student is the most fun you’re going to have as far as celebrating the holiday. You have the youth and the energy and just want to have fun, and I think that’s something that doesn’t happen too much after college.”
About an hour into the party, the costume competition officially began. Students who dressed up could participate in one of three categories for the competition: the silliest, the scariest and the best duo.
After each student representing the specific category showcased their costume, everyone else was presented with a QR code where they could vote for the winner of the costume category.
Interior design freshman Nate Craft won the scariest costume award for dressing up as a Pierrot clown and was both honored and shocked to have won that category.
“I didn’t think my costume was that scary, so I was kind of nervous to participate in the scariest costumes,” Craft said. “But it means a lot because I really like clowns. I feel like I’ve always resonated with them.”
Additionally, Craft mentioned multiple ways of celebrating Halloween while on campus and wanted to express the spirit of the holiday.
“I had a Halloween-themed event at my hall a couple of days ago and now I’m doing this competition,” Craft said. “I wanted to join this competition because of the fun aspect and to get out of my comfort zone a little bit.”
Not only was the competition hosted by the International Education staff, but a few students got the opportunity to help host and create a fun environment.
One of them was animation and game design senior Nhi Tran, who comes from a country where Halloween is not celebrated. Having the experience of putting the event together allowed her to be a part of various cultures.
“I’m from Vietnam, and over there, Halloween is not a thing,” Tran said. “Seeing people dress in full outfits and costumes is so interesting. Getting to prepare for this event and creating a good vibe for people and seeing them dress up is pretty cool. I’m from another culture, but now I get to participate in other cultures.”
All students are encouraged to enjoy the Halloween festivities on campus. Whether that be dressing up with friends or going to events or parties, all students can find a way to dress up and celebrate Halloween if they choose, as participating in the Halloween fun on campus only lasts a few years.