Celebrating friendship with SEEK at their annual Galentine’s Day event

Echoes of laughter and conversation drifted from the ballroom on Friday, February 7th, 2020, which held SEEK’s annual Galentine’s Day event. The event was a nod to the television series “Parks and Recreation” as the main character of the series, Leslie Knopp, celebrates friendship with her “gals” as they eat waffles at a local diner. Not only was there a correlation in the name, but there was a make-your-own waffle bar at the Galentine’s Day event. The bar included many toppings such as maple syrup, whipped cream, sprinkles, and strawberries, as well as bacon and other breakfast foods. 

The event included many activities for students to participate in: a raffle, trivia, friendship bracelets, cork boards, a puzzle, bath bombs, coloring, and scratch-off art. For Kate Nordstrom ‘23 (Biology), the best activity was the friendship bracelets. “It was fun to learn a new style of making bracelets and making them with my friends.”

She attended the event with some friends from her floor. “I always love the [events] St. Kate’s puts on and there were fun activities and free waffles.”

Nordstrom thought the event was a great way to start off the semester. “It was fun to have everyone come together to celebrate friendship without the pressure of having a date. Thank you to SEEK who helped put the event on. It was a wonderful event and I’m looking forward to the rest of the semester with more fun activities.” 

Thea Fisher ‘22 (Political Science and Public Health) enjoyed the raffle, but she may have been a little biased because she won the grand prize: a KitchenAid Mixer! Fisher loves to bake and was thrilled to win the mixer.

When asked what she would use the mixer for first, she said, “I work at the library and we do treat exchanges. Each week someone will bring in treats and this upcoming week is my week. I’m thinking of making carrot cake cupcakes.” 

Besides baking, Fisher likes “Parks and Recreation.” She enjoyed the memes displayed during the events and appreciated the waffles.

Fisher agreed that the event was a good way to kick off the semester. “The end of the Fall semester can leave me feeling beaten down, but first week winning a KitchenAid? That was perfect.” 

According to Mary-Genevieve Moisan ‘22 (Public Health), who serves as SEEK’s Day Brightener and planned the Galentine’s Day event, it was a success. Her goal is always for students to attend and enjoy themselves, which many people did. The ballroom was full of students making crafts and having fun with their friends. Moisan’s favorite activity was the bath bombs because “students got so creative making them.” 

As the “Day Brightener,” Moisan’s job is to run small scale craft events during the lunch hour. However, Galentine’s Day is the one large event a year that she is in charge of planning. One thing Moisan mentioned she will change for next year is to have more craft supplies and seating, as a few of the activities ran out of supplies. SEEK is also considering rebranding the event to be more inclusive to the student body by moving away from the gendered language of Galentine’s Day. Make sure to keep an eye out for upcoming SEEK events, as they have an “exciting Spring semester” planned!