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To give students a break from their busy preparations for final exams, the University’s Career Development Center (CDC) created an amazing activity that brought about a new excitement on campus. Providing games, music, coffee, and s'mores, the CDC ensured that students could take a break from their busy schedules and participate in fun activities.

Introducing the inaugural “Spring Darty,” the CDC celebrated with a day-long event that included several activity centers presented by the Office of Residential Life, Accessibility Resources Center, Myatt Center, and the Career Development Center.

Covering the entire Bixler/Gerber Quad, the day-long darty, which is a funky word for a day party, the event involved multiple activities such as “Spin-the-Wheel,” “Coloring Fun,” “Bracelet Making,” and “'Thank a University Employee/Student Worker.” One of the highlights that caught the eye of many was the s'mores! Indeed, there were bonfires and s'mores for everyone to get together and enjoy the springtime weather.

‘Count me in!’

A special element was added for graduating students, who were given cool hats and #Classof2024 gifts to celebrate and end their time as students in style. Several graduates wore these hats and glasses while cherishing the memories by taking pictures. As a graduating student, I was happy to be there, live the moment. Despite not feeling the best on that day for personal reasons, I spent some time at the Quad, which was worth it. Honestly, I forgot about my worries for a while and got involved in almost all the activities.

My favorite was the coloring and bracelet making activities, as they distracted me and helped me bring my creative side out! Being a huge fan of s'mores, I treated myself to beautifully roasted marshmallows and enjoyed making them with my friends. I commend the CDC for hosting this event, and I hope they will continue the tradition of the darty for a long time.

Seeing so many Chargers enjoying the spring fun to the fullest was great. Students got to engage with many of our staff members from the ARC, Res Life, Myatt Center, and CDC.

"I hadn't heard of a 'darty' before, but it sounded intriguing, so I decided to check it out,” said Simran Harjani ’26 M.S., a candidate in the University’s master's degree program in business analytics. “The atmosphere was relaxed, with students enjoying various stalls and fun activities. I particularly liked the thank-you note activity. If they have the event again next year, count me in!"

‘A fun, engaging and enjoyable event’

It was also fun to see the staff enjoying it, too! Seeing everyone laughing, clicking pictures, and dressing up in fun clothes was a moment to save in the memories. The CDC staff was all enthusiastic for the darty, and it showed! CDC staff, including Bakhtawar (Baki) Izzat, Jessica Sztaimberg, Natalie Criniti, and others, expressed their happiness.

"I believe students were surprised by the thought of the Career Development Center planning such a fun, engaging and enjoyable event, since many of our past events have been centered around professionalism and career-pathway discussions,” said Criniti. “My favorite part was seeing students get into a large group and toss water balloons, along with the delicious s'mores!"

‘A new tradition’

CDC staff said that the event was a huge success, with more than 200 attendees. They were excited to see everyone enjoying the event.

"The Spring Darty was so much fun!” said Izzat. “I was able to interact with our students in a more casual and fun way, which was so refreshing! I met many undergraduate students and was delighted to learn more about them. This reinforced why I love working at the University. We have a diverse, talented, and fun group of students who bring so much energy! I can't wait for future dartys to meet and interact with our students!"

"The CDC loves to meet new students and always tries to make them feel special, so we're always building new ideas,” added Sztaimberg. “We were very happy to meet with students and engage with them by answering their questions about our resources and providing them with information about our office. We hope that events like these encourage our students to visit our office and make the most of our services."

Special mention to 88.7 WNHU, the University’s radio station, for playing amazing music at the darty.

"This event will surely be a new tradition,” said Criniti. “We hope to expand it to other offices within the Division of Student Affairs and have both a Spring and Fall version."

Anchal Bhatia ’24 MBA is a candidate in the University’s MBA program.