Lexi White- General Reporter
For Gen Z, participating in reminiscent activities is considered normal. Current college students love to engage in games that they used to play or watch their favorite shows from when they were kids.
At the university, many students are still infatuated with the elements of their childhood. That is why the Programs Council’s Hello Kitty-themed event was a full house.
The Programs Council, also known as ProCon, consists of four committees. There is the daytime committee, nighttime committee, commuter committee and the weekend committee.
A member of the daytime committee hosting this event was sociology major Rose Mendoza, a freshman. She is the reason this event’s idea came about.
“I wanted to be innovative and bring an idea from a student to students,” Mendoza said. “I am a student who enjoys Hello Kitty and wanted others who enjoy her to have a great time.”
Like Mendoza insisted, many students showed up to celebrate their love for Hello Kitty. The room was so full of students that the line drifted out into the hallway.
“I was not expecting so many people to come because most people think this is childhood stuff or like a kid’s birthday party,” Mendoza said. “I thought that when the event would be over, that we would have so much stuff left over.”
ProCon gave out goodie bags filled with Hello Kitty-themed trinkets to the students who attended the event. Those who came also got the opportunity to pick out plushies, snacks and other Hello Kitty merchandised items.
Another member of the daytime ProCon committee was social work major Tara Malcolm, a sophomore. She was very excited to see how many students attended and to help host this event alongside Mendoza.
“This gives students a place to decompress from coming back to school after break because personally I have a huge paper due soon that has been stressing me out,” Malcolm said. “Being at this event lets me enjoy my childish side.”
Ceramic Hello Kitties were also given out to students who came to the event. Participants were able to paint and customize their favorite character.
Psychology major Antonio Gonzalez, a senior, was one of the students who attended this fun-filled event. He was very excited to paint because he thoroughly enjoys arts and crafts.
“Doing this is really relaxing, especially since we just came back from spring break,” Gonzalez said. “I think it is really nice to just sit down, relax and paint things with my peers.”
Gonzalez is a big fan of Hello Kitty and how valid she is for his generation.
“She does not talk much, but you can feel her immaculate vibes anyway. She is amazing,” Gonzalez said.
Another student who attended the Hello Kitty event was communications major Aliyah Graham, a senior. She was very intrigued by what this event had to offer.
“I am really loving this Hello Kitty plushie that I got,” Graham said. “I creative outlets so being able to paint here is something I am happy about.”
Graham also thought that this type of event would be very beneficial for students on campus.
“Events like this is what makes me glad that I chose Southern,” Graham said. “Not many schools actually care about students’ mental health and give them ways to relieve their stress through events.”
