Love — and chocolate — were in the air on Feb. 14 as Valentine’s Day-themed events took place throughout the 5Cs, fostering community and giving students the opportunity to take a break from school and try a sweet treat instead.
The day began with “For the Love of Chocolate,” an event at Pomona College’s Smith Campus Center which featured a chocolate fountain, heart-shaped macarons, churros and individually potted succulents for students to take. Greeted by staff and employees outside the Coop Fountain, students gathered to take a break from their studies and enjoy the treats.
The event also featured Associated Students of Pomona College’s (ASPC) distribution of Candy Grams, small gifts including candy and a note which Pomona students could send to another student via a Google Form. Alongside ASPC, the Pomona class deans handed out 21 Choices vouchers, candy bags and chips to the first 100 takers, which produced a long line of students hoping to make the cut.
Tamarah Al Mozani PO ’27 said she felt the event was a nice addition to her day.
“My friend Lindsay told me about it and I thought it was really cute so I thought I would stop by,” Al Mozani said.
This Valentine’s event was more than just a chance for students to score some sweets; it also featured an opportunity for Pomona’s Facilities and Campus Services to showcase what their department has to offer.
Dennys Bustamante, manager for Pomona’s Facilities and Campus Services, noted that many students do not know what the department entails.
“We wanted to promote our facilities,” Bustamante said. “We have a big umbrella and a lot of people don’t know. They just think facilities are maintenance but we have sustainability and we have our dining department. We wanted to showcase a little bit of what we do.”
Along with the chocolate fountain station provided by the dining department, representatives from other departments also used the event to showcase their work. The Sustainability Office talked to students about the Office’s services, letting students know that there is cookware available to be checked out.
Bustamante also noted that Valentine’s Day was a good day to host the event because it would help students build community. Al Mozani agreed that the 5Cs were successful in making Valentine’s Day a little more special.
“I think they [did] a pretty good job,” Al Mozani said. “It’s pretty inclusive all around.”
Another Valentine’s Day event held by Pomona’s Womxn’s Union on the second floor of Walker Hall allowed students to grab some chicken wings, eat desserts and participate in various Valentine’s Day activities.
Mia Sawicki PO ’24 made Valentine’s Day cards at the event. She emphasized the importance of relaxing activities that give students a break from their demanding academic workload.
“I love getting the time to do non-academic things during events like this,” Sawicki said. “We really wanted to make Valentine’s cards so we’ve been wanting to go to the Hive to do it. So I saw [the event announcement] and was like, we have to go, this is our opportunity.”
Sawicki noted that students’ moods at the event appeared excited and less stressed, even in the midst of midterm season.
“I feel like it’s super easy to get bogged down and stressed with midterms and stuff, but these events kind of remind you to do something else,” Sawicki said.
Sawicki said that the Womxn’s Union event helped her feel more ingrained into the Pomona community.
“I love events like this,” Sawicki said. “I think it’s so fun and I think it really brings the community together and you get to meet new people. I love Valentine’s Day so it has made this day ten times better.”
To conclude the day of festivities, Scripps Associated Students (SAS) hosted a Valentine’s Fundraiser at Seal Court where they sold various baked goods. Seal Court had previously been adorned with paper hearts donning the name of every Scripps College student for their friends to write love messages on.
Sarah Paper SC ’25, one of the students running the baked goods booth, explained how the event not only helped celebrate Valentine’s Day, but also assisted SAS in funding for future celebrations.
“It presented a good opportunity to do this fundraiser,” Paper said. “We’re planning on doing a few throughout the semester to raise money for our events.”
The funds from this event will go towards the Scripps 5C party on April 19. Paper recognized the importance of these funds but also noted that an event on Valentine’s Day helps celebrate all types of love, not solely romantic ones.
“On our flyer it said this could be ‘For your Valentine, galentine, or yourself,’ so there is all different types of love and we want to celebrate that,” Paper said.
Another student, Jenna Thrasher SC ’25, agreed with the sentiment that Valentine’s Day is special and hosting these types of events is a nice way to celebrate each other.
“Valentine’s Day is fun because, especially [for] those who are single, I think it’s nice for us to do something for each other and celebrate friendship and love,” Thrasher said. “I think that’s what is really sweet.”
Facebook Comments