As students begin to find their ways back into the swing of things for the spring 2015 semester, many seniors across campus are coming to terms with the reality that this will be their last semester at Keene State College.
To commemorate this exciting and nerve-wracking time, the annual 100 Nights Til Graduation event was hosted on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015.
Senior Chelsea Harris was one of the students responsible for putting the event together.
“One Hundred Nights has been a tradition here on campus for years,” Harris said of the event.
“It’s put on by the senior class student government [executive board]. It is a fun way to start the double digit count down until graduation,” she continued.
Contributed photo / Joseph Paul
Harris noted, “We’ve been working with Ben [owner of Scores Sports Bar & Grill and KSC alumnus] since last November on the event and we couldn’t be happier with the way it went.”
Scores was chosen by the student government e-board based on cost, space and venue according to Harris.
“Scores was awesome to work with,” Harris added
“There were a few hiccups here and there but every event has those,” Harris noted.
Before attending the event, film production major Becca Costanzo, who will be graduating from KSC this May, admitted some skepticism to the event being hosted at Scores.
“There’s a lot of seniors and Scores isn’t a very big place,” Costanzo had noted beforehand.
Chris Haughey, a senior who will also be graduating in May, considered himself lucky to get into Scores early.
“The staff was great along with the group that planned it. The issue is that there was a line the entire night,” Haughey said.
Having been on the planning committee for the Pub Crawl back in October, Haughey added, “I know it’s hard to accommodate everyone for class events,” based on the sheer number of students.
Costanzo hadn’t been able to get into Scores until a little later in the evening, but noted that she had a great time regardless.
“I loved dancing with my friends in our awesome 90’s throwback gear,” Costanzo said of her night at Scores.
Other seniors, however, were not willing to wait in the cold.
“I wish I had the patience to wait in line at Scores, but Lab [‘n Lager] dollar drinks looked a lot better than standing in the snow,” Taylor Warriner, a KSC senior, admitted.
Warriner, while disappointed that she was unable to get into Scores since the bar reached capacity by 9:30 p.m., was able to salvage her night and still have fun.
Warriner said, “Instead of waiting for an hour and a half, I went to Lab [‘n Lager] with my friends and still had a great time there.”
Based on the feedback she got, Harris deemed the night an overall success.
One Hundred Nights, whether attended at Scores or somewhere else, allowed the seniors to reflect on their time at KSC and think about their future plans.
Harris said, “One of my favorite memories from Keene State would have to be pumpkin lobotomy.”
“How many other schools order a lot of pumpkins for their students to carve on the quad? I have photos of all the pumpkins I have made at lobotomy because it is just a good reminder of the fun stuff we get to do here at Keene,” she said.
Costanzo noted, “The scariest part of being a senior is definitely the looming fact that the ‘real world’ is approaching. It’s a crazy mix of excitement and total terror at the thought of the unknown.”
Warriner, who transferred to KSC her junior year, said that she was nervous at first, but her roommates and everyone else on campus were so welcoming.
“That has always stuck in my head and made me realize coming to KSC was the best decision ever,” Warriner said.
As for post-KSC plans, Costanzo hopes to work in the film industry.
“I’m hoping to start off assisting in pre-production work in New York City while working on my own screenplays,” Costanzo noted.
Warriner will be attending graduate school to get her master’s degree in sustainable engineering.
Which school she’s going to, though, she hasn’t yet decided.
The 100 Nights event allowed seniors to get a little sentimental, too, as they reflected on their college days, now coming to an end.
Of the impending graduation date, set in May for many KSC seniors, Costanzo said, “Most of us have been continuing our education for about seventeen years and now that phase in our life is ending. It is absolutely crazy but exhilarating at the same time. I have had a great ride at Keene State and I have no regrets about picking this institution.”
Harris said, “This is the last time we’ll be going out with friends on Thursday nights, or having sleep-overs on a school night.”
She continued, “I just hope everyone makes the best of their last semester here at Keene because we are leaving our home soon.”
Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@keene-equinox.com
