On the evening of April 28th, 2023, a “HALO Block Party ” took place at the north Union lawn. The university community came together to savor delicious foods and drinks with fries, nachos, pizza, free raffles and corn with music from local vendors.

The event was organized by the HALO, Sigma Lambda Gamma, Black Student Union, the Gaming Club. The block party attracted a large crowd of students and gaming enthusiasts from the local community.

The block party featured various activities related to the Hispanic American Leadership Organization, selling ornaments and costumes including music and free play areas.

The event was open to the public, making it an opportunity for local gamers to come together and bond over their shared passion. Jaden Sanchez, freshman majoring in radiology and Ana Estrada-Vargas, organizer of the event shared their opinion about the event.

“The motive behind the ‘HALO Block Party’ at the university was to provide a fun and engaging social event for students and local gaming and food enthusiasts. By organizing events such as the ‘HALO Block Party,’ the school demonstrates its dedication to offering students opportunities to explore their interests outside of the classroom,” Sanchez said.

Despite the large crowd, the event was well-organized, with plenty of space for participants to play and mingle. Overall, the “HALO Block Party” brought together students and local gamers for a fun and memorable evening of gaming and socializing.

“It’s the tradition that we are doing to bring diversity since the score is for people and to know different cultures. This event is done to create community between Washburn students and the Topeka community,” Estrada-Vargas said.

She elaborated that foods, free raffles, music and games attract people to the event. Food trucks can offer unique and diverse cuisine options that may not be available at traditional campus dining options. They can also provide an added benefit of promoting economic development in the local community by supporting local small businesses and entrepreneurs.

The Gaming Club and organizers are already looking forward to planning future events and hope to continue to create similar opportunities for the gaming community in the future.

To stay updated on more events like this,  follow HALO on Faceboook @WashburnHALO and Instagram @halo.washburn.

Edited by Aja Carter and LeSha’ Davis