Taking a break and getting creative is what San José State students want and Student Involvement’s Tea and Painting event on Wednesday provided just that.
This event included painting totes, drinks from nirvana soul and music.
Student Involvement is an SJSU department that curates community and leadership-oriented events with student organizations as well as other programs and services on campus, according to the Student Involvement department webpage.
Before the event started, more than 100 students lined down the Student Union before getting to enjoy the event.
Asjah Naquin, the student involvement student leadership ambassador and a fourth-year environmental studies student, said she was not expecting the large turnout.
“The turnout was great. We expected it to be a little bit small, but we had probably over 150 people come in through here, so it’s really great to see everybody,” Naquin said.
Once the students entered the Student Union meeting room 4, they were greeted by the student involvement staff who directed them to a table.
The theme of the event was a chill cafe-style night.
Two different stations were set up for the students to choose from once the event started.
The painting station had paint and brushes as well as tote bags and canvases to paint on.
Next to the painting table was another with Nirvana Soul which featured peach iced tea, oat banana chai and B’s tea.
Naquin said events like this help students to decompress and connect with each other.
“I think it’s really important for events like this because we have such a diverse student body, but so many people don’t know each other so being able to have them connect and get to know each other in a low-stress environment, de-stress and just give a fun activity,” Naquin said.
Student involvement had been planning the event since the Fall.
Kassandra Sandoval, a fourth-year business administration student with a concentration in human resources, said this was a nice way to wind down.
“After a long week of school, I think it’s really cool to just spend time with friends and wind down,” Sandoval said.
The event planning process can start months in advance due to careful planning for catering, vendors and student union room bookings. There are various forms for scheduling including food and beverage approval and meeting room request forms that need to be filled out and approved before the event, according to the Student Union Webpage.
Montserrat Martinez, a third-year public health student, said events like these help students reduce stress after class and make time to hang out with friends.
“Events like this I think shows students that the school thinks about the well-being of students and kinda creating a more social space for school and having events where you can make friends and come together with friends,” Martinez said.
Student involvement’s next event will be a line dancing event on Feb. 17th, in the Student Union, according to Student Union Involvement on Instagram.
