Texas A&M University–San Antonio invited students and community to its annual Lights of Esperanza celebration on Nov. 28 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the main campus.
The event brought in the holiday with seasonal activities such as ice skating and snow slides. People in attendance enjoyed holiday cookies and hot chocolate while the university was lit up.
“I think it’s a cute traditional event from the decorations, to how they lit everything up at the same time. That was really nice,” said Belen Cerna, a junior special education major.
Cerna attended the event with her little brother to show him what a college looked like while enjoying the ice skating rink.
“It is just a fun, friendly, family event when the university comes together to celebrate the holidays,” said Senior Communications Specialist Cavett McCrary. “The campus is really transformed for the night, it is very cool.”
Lights of Esperanza had the biggest turnout compared to any other event the university has held, which in return required a lot of planning and preparation.
“Lights of Esperanza is the big festival to start the holiday season… Each year it gets bigger and better,” McCrary said.
The Department of Recreational Sports was heavily involved with Lights of Esperanza. The department was in charge of finding vendors who were able to accommodate the holiday vibe and ensured safety by having their student employees’ watch over activities during the event.
According to Recreational Sports, every activity from last year was back along with a twelve-foot snow slide requiring 10,000 pounds of snow, as well as an additional 20,000 lights and a live choir embellishing in holiday carols.
“I want students to know that we can create traditions here and make it our own,” said Director of Recreational Sports Art Olague. “I really encourage students to come and be a part of this and to find ways to make this their own event.”
Although the flyer stated the Lights of Esperanza hours from 6 to 8 p.m., the university wanted to provide their students with the initial first look. A&M-San Antonio students were able to take advantage of all of the events from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
