Taylor Moore
Staff Writer
While traditionally for couples, Valentine’s Day offered a chance to feel a sense of normalcy to couples and singles on Feb. 12 at the “Are You in Love? Or Are You Heartbroken?” event hosted by the Campus Activities Board through Zoom.
Sophomore communications major Gabriella Cummings, CAB spirit chair and the host of the event, said she planned the event so that all students feel included in the holiday, regardless of their relationship status.
“Let’s reuse Valentine’s Day to benefit yourself,” Cummings said.
When students first joined, they were instructed to take out the mason jars they had received in their giveaway packages after securing their spot to the event. The giveaway also included snacks and a portable charger, all of which were shipped individually to the attendees’ homes.
Brianna Avila, freshman biology major, saw the flyer for the event on Instagram.
“I felt seen, you know? I was intrigued. Also, there were free snacks and it sounded like a good time,” Avila said.
“I wanted to make an event for students to attend that can be fun without structure, so it can be pretty open to what people want to do,” Cummings said.
She explained that she chose the event name to target an audience of both singles and couples.
“If you are in a happy relationship, good for you. I am a little jealous, but I am happy for you. You guys can write cute date ideas for your jars,” Cummings said. “If you’re single like me, you can write affirmations for yourself.”
The event quickly turned into a social event for students to chat as they would if they were on campus. Students discussed subjects such as current shows they have been binging and put polls for other students to answer in the Zoom chat.
Cummings suggested a Kahoot game on pop culture, where most of the 18 attendees were eager to participate. Friendly banter was exchanged as some participants got playfully competitive with one another throughout the game.
She said she had hoped the event would be an opportunity for students to relax after the second week of the second semester.
Cummings invited the attendees to play another Kahoot game entirely dedicated to Marvel trivia, since a lot of the students shared a liking for it. Students joked with each other, so much so that the event went past its scheduled end time of 8 p.m.
Lauren Holcomb, sophomore educational studies major, was the winner of the pop culture themed Kahoot game.
“I like to come to events to support my fellow Leos and Leas as well as giving myself a break from school work,” Holcomb said.
Kiara Ortiz Figueroa, freshman criminology major, who won second place in the first Kahoot game, shared the same intentions as Holcomb in joining the event.
“I wanted to have a stress free day since I did not have classes today. I wanted to enjoy some ‘me-time’ before the weekend,” said Holcomb.
Taylor Moore can be reached at taylor.moore@laverne.edu.
Taylor Moore is a junior broadcast journalism major and LV Life editor for Spring 2023. In her fourth semester on Campus Times, this is her second time serving as LV Life editor. She has also served as social media editor and staff writer.
