Students Feast and Compete in Trivia

Never underestimate the facility of free meals and a trivia contest to persuade graduate or skilled college students to courageous the below-freezing temperatures to attend a campus occasion within the lifeless of winter. That’s what Winterfest is all about. It’s a chance for college kids to take a break from courses, labs, and exams, get pleasure from one another’s firm, and chow down on some high quality vittles.

“I saw there was going to be trivia and free food. That’s very important because this time of year, I’m so busy with school, I don’t have as much time to meal prep,” mentioned Olivia Fountaine ‘27PA. “It reminds me of undergrad where we had events like this every week, so it’s fun to come out with my classmates and have the opportunity to take a couple of hours off from school.”

Trivia and meals had been additionally the principle points of interest for Patrick Giraudo ‘27PA. Let’s be trustworthy, grad faculty may be mentally and emotionally taxing – a shock meal is a morale booster too.

“Our class likes trivia. We’re so busy studying all the time that any excuse to take a little break is welcome, especially if there is free food,” he mentioned. “Free food is so important to graduate students. This is dinner tonight, and it saves me a lot of time making dinner when I get home.”

The Winterfest custom started in 2017 when it was known as the Dean’s Winterfest at what was then Salus University, earlier than its merger with Drexel University, which was finalized in July 2025. It’s historically been held within the winter, though the pandemic threw a wrench into the occasion for a number of years. It got here out of that as Springfest and was moved to the Spring, however has re-emerged as a winter occasion.

This 12 months’s occasion, held Feb. 5 on the Hafter Student Community Center, drew a pleasant crowd, regardless of it being simply two weeks after one other winter occasion, the first-ever Drexel University Homecoming celebrated on the Elkins Park campus. The Homecoming festivities drew a big and enthusiastic crowd, which did nothing to dampen the spirits of the Winterfest attendees.

Richard Medina ‘29OD, a student ambassador on the Elkins Park campus, was involved in the planning of this year’s Winterfest, and he was happy with the vibe from these attending.

“I feel like I have a welcoming personality for other students coming in to keep the community inclusive. That’s the thing I really liked about my interview here. The ambassadors were some of the people who convinced me to come here,” mentioned Medina. “After a hard day of classes and exams, free food really brings people together. I’m having a great time.”