Courtesy
College seeks to establish its campus as a go-to destination for families.
By James Dusek
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Northwest Vista College is preparing for an evening of food, fireworks and family time as they count down the days to their second annual HalloVista event 5-9 p.m. Oct. 22.
The evening will feature a haunted house, food trucks, a screening of “Beetlejuice” and lots of other fun activities.
More than just providing students and their families with a fun event, HalloVista looks to reach out to the surrounding San Antonio community.
“We want people to know this college is for them,” said Renata Serafin, director of public relations.
HalloVista promises to be fun for all ages and is open to the public. Younger children will have plenty of activities to enjoy, including a bounce house and trick-or-treating in the college classrooms.
For the rest of the family, the event will feature a haunted house, games, airbrush tattoos and lots of food and snacks, including smoothies, popcorn, pizza and wraps.
People of all ages are encouraged to attend in costume and participate in the costume contests for children and adults.
The centerpiece of the evening will be a screening of “Beetlejuice,” followed by a fireworks display over the campus’ lake.
“We want to make college accessible to people,” Serafin said.
To establish that accessibility, there will be a bus equipped with computer workstations to offer guests an opportunity to inquire about and apply for college and other programs offered through the Alamo Colleges.
Serafin recalled a time after last year’s HalloVista, when she received a Facebook comment saying the event had been the tipping point in convincing one young attendee to enroll in the college.
“If we influenced just that one family, it was worth it,” Serafin said.
Though the event is free, the college has partnered with the San Antonio Food Bank and asks attendees to bring along a canned food item to donate.
“We wanted to give back to the community,” Serafin said. “And we thought ‘well what happens around Halloween? Soon after that, it’s Thanksgiving.’”
Serafin sees the event as an important opportunity for the college to bond not only with the community, but with its own students.
“We’re hoping that if we can bring a student outside of the class, to the campus … that student then is more invested in the college. They’re more likely they feel part of something,” Serafin said.
For more information on HalloVista, visit NVC’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Go2Vista/.
