by Vivian Luu
Copy Editor

With bumpy pumpkins and katana-sharp carving knives in hand, students whittled their way through an afternoon of Halloween festivities at the second annual Pumpkin Carving social.

The event was organized by SCC’s Vietnamese Club, Campus Ambassadors and International

Program Mentors. According to Campus Ambassador Tom Tran and International Program Mentor Elsha Kwee, the event was planned out about a month in advance and took about one hour to set up on October 30, the day of the event.

Long, rectangular tables were installed throughout the vicinity of Room 2926, lined with cardboard and stocked with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. Carving knives, napkins, markers and a hodgepodge of pumpkin accents were also stationed around the room.

As 1:30 p.m. approached, students flocked into the venue to start their masterpieces. Backpacks were stuffed into deserted corners and Puffer jackets bombarded empty seats as SCC’s artists rolled up their sleeves and got to work on crafting their Halloween masterpieces.

There was a myriad of creative ideas hovering around the room. SCC student Andri Saputra thought about carving a killer’s mask from the hit movie “Saw,” but later decided to go with a less freakishly festive crystal ball. Dedrick Sebastian and Budi Sustanto, his men-at-arms, were at his side to witness the creation of a neatly crafted opening in his Jack-o’-Lantern’s cheek.

Joey Sipos, another student at SCC, noted that while carving his pumpkin, he “[had] a little difficulty along the way.” However, he enjoyed the “good festivities” as he attempted to transfer the visage of his friend, Albert Lin, onto his gargantuan pumpkin. The masterpiece, he explains, was to become a depiction of Lin’s soul.

While many students attempted

to bring forth their subjective artistic abilities to the table, others managed to keep things simple with very literal carvings. Tsz Kit Sze used a razor-sharp carving knife to whittle out the Chinese symbol that stood for part of his name, “Kit.”

Other crafty masterpieces were assembled out of pure spontaneity. Son Tran, the President of Vietnamese Club, managed to wail on a furrowed pumpkin with a couple of lethal carving knives, some hot glue and a couple of pencils. He ended up with an eccentric creation that would have been likely to represent Franz Kafka’s existential personality.

The artists weren’t the only ones who took attended the Pumpkin Carving Social. Instead, they were joined by friends, family and curious spectators. The eclectic mix of attendees added their part to the festivities as camera flashes enveloped groups of Halloween enthusiasts.

Some adventurers also wore costumes as they perused the isles of busy artisans and conversed with other attendees. Elsha Kwee was seen donning a black and dark burgundy gown, topped off with just the right amount of eyeliner to finish off her ensemble. Son Tran was also spotted with a feather-laden mask. Some of the children at the Pumpkin Carving social also wore costumes, and received a great deal of attention from enthused female attendees.

Students from the Community Integration Program also attended the event. They were given a reserved table to carve their pumpkins and were able to join in on all of the festivities that the occasion had to offer.

As students teetered in and out of Room 2926, funky eyeballs were still being glued onto grooved Jack-o’-Lantern faces, cameras were still flashing incessantly and the aroma of brand-new Sharpies was in the air as pumpkins were marked up and carved up. Students mentioned that although the event was incredibly down-to-earth, it emanated a sense of thrill and innovation that the Halloween tradition is all about.