by Ryan Diaz
The sunshine beamed down on students and staff while the smell of freshly cut grass ruminated in the air. The annual College Colors Day took place on the upper playing field and a mix of alumni, students and faculty convened in the space. The tunes of KRFH student radio filled the crowd with excitement as the kickball game ensued on Friday, Sept. 19.
College Colors Day is an annual celebration of school spirit and pride, and features a variety of activities. This year included a kickball tournament, soccer, face painting, music and complimentary food.
Jessica Etter is the events coordinator in the president’s office at Cal Poly Humboldt. Etter ran point on setting up the event, with the goal of more student engagement and connection.
“In the past, the kickball tournament drew mostly staff and faculty teams,” Etter said. “We listened to feedback and were excited to see much more alumni and student involvement this year, especially with the Jack Attack student kickball team that made it all the way to the championship.”
Viktor Coonrod is a freshman majoring in engineering and attended his first-ever College Colors Day. He explored the event, navigated his way through the festivities and embraced the college spirit. Viktor said that as a freshman, there are many ways to make friends at this event.
Senior Carlos Regalado suggested that freshmen get involved with the local community by joining student organizations or participating in school events.
“This event is really awesome and fun, you can meet a bunch of different people on campus, and if it grows, it’ll be awesome,” Regalado said. “You can find your family here.”
The kickball tournament found a different team this year, with a student-led team. On the student side, Ink Sarco, a freshman marine biology major, joined the team this year.
“It’s really good to come together and build a sense of community,” Sarco said. “Meeting people that you typically wouldn’t talk to on a day-to-day basis.”
Ian Avants is a junior computer science major and one of Sarco’s teammates. An event for a variety of different ages, this kickball tournament brought together the community in unique ways and tied together school spirit in a green and gold bow.
“Everyone is here just to have fun. It’s high energy, and just a fun way to spend your afternoon,” Avants said.
Jorge Pelayo is the SPF purchasing coordinator at the executive business services support at Cal Poly Humboldt and participated on a staff and faculty team. This is his first year at Humboldt and his first College Colors Day.
“I think it’s important to make those connections so it feels like [the students] are not going through anything by themselves, help each other, listen to each other, and push each other along,” Pelayo said.
Ryan Diaz is a senior at Cal Poly Humboldt and a second-semester reporter with an ambition to work in the public relations field after graduation. He is also a DJ on 105.1 FM KRFH and krfh.net, hosting a weekly show on Thursday from 7-8 P.M.