Spreading love one letter at a time

Zulenny Flores Chaves | Writer

Students write handwritten notes during the Love Letter Lab hosted by the Latin@ Leadership Club.

Students gathered around tables filled with roses, candy, and handwritten notes at the Academic Resource Center on Feb. 12 to participate in the Latin@ Leadership Club's and Student Government Association’s (SGA) Valentine’s Day celebrations. These two events were designed to spread kindness and bring the college community together, but, more than that, they created connections.

Between classes and deadlines, the Love Letter Lab, hosted by the Latin@ Leadership Club, drew students to the campus’s Humanities, Opportunity, Programming, and Engagement (H.O.P.E.) Center. Students hovered over blank cards, trying to find the right thing to say. They slowed down to put pen to paper and write messages to those who mattered most to them. 

While many students wrote to romantic partners, others used the opportunity to recognize friendships and family members. CJay Medina, a student participating in this event, wrote a letter to his close friend.

“Small gestures like this mean the world,” said Medina.

The same spirit carried into SGA’s Valentine’s Day celebration. For just $1, students could buy Hershey’s Kisses, chocolate roses, or goodie bags filled with ring pops, lollipops, and candy hearts. 

This event held a deeper purpose outside of the college community, however, with a fundraiser raising a little over $60 for Doctors Without Borders.

While the fundraiser was meaningful, what stood out most about the event was not the monetary value. It was the atmosphere.

While typically rushing through campus, students did not just grab candy and leave. They stayed. They made origami flowers, twisted pipe cleaners into roses, and designed handmade cards at a station sponsored by the Art Club. Student Life organized a stuffed animal donation box, and the gently used stuffed animals will soon be delivered to the Active Learning Center in Trexlertown. 

Members of the student body came together to spread more love around campus.

Madyi Spadt, the programming chair for SGA, thinks events like these matter on a college campus. 

“It reminds students that campus can be fun and welcoming, especially around certain holidays that can feel isolating for people,” she said. “I love seeing people happy and sticking around as a community.”

For many students, the Latin@ Leadership Club’s and SGA’s events were about taking a moment to remind someone that they matter. 

“I think the impact from our event went beyond the fundraising itself,” Spadt said.