Students captured the memory-making tradition in selfies with President Marie Hardin and Boomer in his holiday sweater, in group shots piled in the big red sleigh, and in glow-up pics at the Ice Cats photo booth. Many dressed their best for the night’s Ugly Sweater contest, and the entire crowd played along to win holiday trivia prizes.

As the highlight of the night, students, faculty, staff and families joined Hardin in the countdown to kickstart thousands of twinkling lights that will sparkle across the Mount Carmel Campus for the holiday season.

Now in its seventh year, Hardin said the Quad Lighting has become a meaningful event for the Quinnipiac community.

“I’m big believer that these kind of traditions are important for community, and the students understand that, which is wonderful; so this is a really special tradition,” she said.

Student co-organizers Bella Rosenberg ’27 and Lydia Brown ’29 coordinated with the offices of Marketing and Communications; Community Partnerships and University Events; and Facilities and Events Management to put on the big show.

“As a senior, the Quad Lighting is probably my favorite event on campus,” Rosenberg said. “I think it’s so much fun – I even won the sweater contest my freshman year with my roommates! It’s makes me so happy to see everyone on campus and to spread some holiday cheer.”

Brown said experiencing the Quad Lighting as a first-year student is now a locked-in Quinnipiac memory for her.

“My friends and I got here, and we could not believe that were so many people! It was really nice to have a moment where everyone on this campus was in the same place at the same time. It just warmed our hearts. Now it’s really nice to be helping out behind the scenes to make memories for other people,” Brown said.

Rosenberg said she’s packing this year’s Quad Lighting in with all of the memories she’s collecting during her final year as an undergraduate.

“It’s very bittersweet for me. I remember myself as a freshman watching the Quad Lighting with my friends and roommates, who are actually still my roommates. I’m so
thankful that this is a memory I’ll get to have from my Quinnpipac experience,” said Rosenberg.

As the night’s emcee, Payton Stein ’28 said she had one job.

“I want to get everyone hyped for the holidays!” said Stein, who welcomed the crowd and brought the energy while hosting trivia and revving up the Ugly Sweater Contest applause meter.

Choosing the contest’s Best Duo and Ugliest sweater winners was a tough call for judges and event co-founders and leads Jamie DeLoma ’06, MS ’11, senior director of live communications, and Karla Natale, ’99, MS ’14, associate vice president for community partnerships and university events, along with Kaitlyn Magnano, assistant director of facilities and events management.

In the end, every contestant received a prize, although Isaiah Ayala ’30 swept Crowd Favorite and Ugliest Sweater with his stunning Star Wars holiday sweater featuring Darth Mal.

“I just heard about the contest and I thought, why not?” said Ayala on deciding to show out with his sweater. “It was little hard getting up there, but I feel like it added to the spirit.”

Feeling the spirit with her friends, Grace Orena ’29 celebrated snagging a popular Quinnipiac butter squishy among tables piled high with free swag.

“This is actually my first time for the Quad Lighting. I came out with my friends because I’ve never done it before and I want to see the lights. It’s really fun,” said Orena.

The event’s free giveaways also featured thousands of tiny rubber duckies decked out with holiday scarves, a keepsake Quinnipiac campus poster, and sweet treats including Ghirardelli chocolates and non-stop helpings of hot chocolate.

Isabella Engle ’29 said she thought the artfully designed full-sized campus poster -- a new addition this year -- was a nice touch for students to have as a keepsake.

“I’m making memories, that’s why I got the poster,” Engle said. “I’m here because love Christmas and the lights are beautiful. I came to this my freshman year it felt like it made me part of the community.”

Among the lawn games in play on the grass in front of the Arnold Bernhard Library, Brian Brown ’30 rounded up his friends to pack the sleigh for a photo at their first Quad Lighting.

“We came out just to be a part of the community, and to watch the lights go on,” Brown said.

Seeing the Mount Carmel Campus come alive with holiday lights is a favorite time of year for Chief Experience Officer Tom Ellett and his wife, Gladys Vallespir Ellett, an assistant professor of nursing. They live at the Commons with their golden retriever pup George, a campus celebrity, who joined them at the Quad Lighting.

“I think there’s nothing like a good old holiday celebration among the community,” Ellett said. “I love seeing the games going on, and every getting hot chocolate and just enjoying being together, because it’s going to get a little stressful with finals coming up. It’s also one of the last times that people will get together as a community before the holidays.”

As the sun set, Stein brought up Hardin for the countdown. To huge cheers from the crowd, Hardin gave a shoutout to the MAAC regular-season champion Quinnipiac Bobcats women’s soccer team who joined her on the library steps. She encouraged everyone to come out and cheer on the top-seeded Bobcats in their MAAC Tournament semifinal match against No. 4 Siena on November 12 at Quinnipiac.

Then, taking a page from classic holiday storytelling, Hardin lent a nostalgic tone to the countdown, starting it off with this heartfelt message: “To all the Bobcats, this I say -- may Quinnipiac always light your way!”

The crowd countdown resonated across the Quad, leading to the dazzling moment when lights decking each of the familiar buildings ringing the Mount Carmel Campus transformed into a shining winter wonderland to greet the holiday season at Quinnipiac.

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