Students relished the opportunity to adorn premade Chinese lanterns with colorful decorations for a brighter year.

The Student Activities Board held the event Feb. 8 in the Ronnie Williams Student Center to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Chinese lanterns are collapsible paper lanterns and a symbol of fortune.

SAB partnered with College Event Entertainment Company and provided an array of ornaments — such as stickers, beads, faux flowers and string — for participants to glue on their lanterns.

“We’ve never done anything for Lunar New Year,” Trey Massingill, SAB president and senior computer science major, said.

“We’re trying to be more intentional with our events, kind of give everybody a space. We were looking at things we haven’t done before, and we were like, this is perfect,” he said.

He said he was “really happy” with the turnout.

Rogann Cameron, a company employee, said, “We bring fun activities to colleges for students.”

Heather Watson, a senior computer science major, said, “I just wanted to kill some time, and it seemed fun to do. They got a lot of stuff for you to be able to decorate with. I like that they have fake flowers and different colored gems.”

Sydney Irwin, a freshman psychology major, said, “I’m having a lot of fun. I like stuff like this because it’s just relaxing, and it gives me a chance to do something interesting between classes.”

Reilly McCann, a sophomore art education major, said, “This is cool. I’m stealing some of these dragon stickers just to have.”

John Evans, a junior history major and education minor, said, “I love to do these things. I like to be more inclusive in school activities, so I don’t just have to worry about classwork all the time.”

Trinity Boykins, a freshman art major, said, “It’s my first time doing an event like this and my first time being on campus, so it’s really fun and exciting.”

Valeria Vance, a junior anthropology major and family and consumer science minor, said, “Stuff like this makes me feel better, like yesterday with the DIY chopstick thing. I almost cried because I was having a bad day, so getting that made me feel so much better.”

Safaa Sohail, a junior psychology major and criminology minor, said, “I’m inviting my friends to come over here so that they can also do this because it’s just nice that we’re getting to decorate some lanterns.”

Tamaya Hall, a sophomore business management major, “I like to do everything that you can hands-on and you can take home and show your mom … it’s a souvenir.”

Tamaya Clemens, a junior marketing major, said “I found these really pretty. I just really wanted one. Like she [Hall] said, it’s a souvenir … I just love pretty things to hang up in my room.” 

Clara Lindsley, a freshman with an undeclared major, said, “I am here because my lovely suitemate is here.”

Minori Imaizumi, a foreign exchange student, said, “It’s just fun.”

Marcus Needles, a senior exercise science major, said, “I’m doing it because it looks like fun, and I’m having a good time.”

Massingill said, “We really just wanted to give people a space where they can try something they’ve never done before.”

The Chinese New Year fell on Feb. 10, and 2024 is the Year of the Dragon.