Around 6:00 p.m. on Friday, October 23, 2015, students of all different ages filed excitedly into Hardwood Arena for the annual homecoming weekend pep-rally sponsored by The Student Organization.

Damion Wilson and Julian Kennebrew hosted the pep-rally
Brooke Roderick l The Cougar’s Byte

Hosted by Damion Wilson and Julian Kennebrew, the pep-rally was a rambunctious and entertaining couple of hours starring a truly dynamic duo. Upon entrance to Hardwood Arena, students received raffle tickets that could be exchanged for various items of Kean Univeristy merchandise but with so many free giveaways, it was hard to know where to begin. But these giveaways only contributed to the real meaning of the pep-rally: school spirit.

The gym of Harwood Arena was overwhelmed with the colors of blue, silver, and an unofficial color of Kean University: white. Everywhere one looked, Kean University pride radiated off of every surface. From sports jerseys, to t-shirts, to morph suits, to foam fingers, the students of Kean University expressed their admiration for their school in everyway they possibly could. One student, Kimberly Tadiello, a senior education and Earth Science major, conveyed what it is like to be apart of the Kean family:

“Kean is a really close-knit community that I am proud to be apart of,” said she.

One focus of the night was a component important to all major universities: sports. The football team alone took up an entire section of the bleachers. Hands down, Kean Football was the source of most of the commotion at the pep-rally. Senior Sociology major and wide receiver, Qaudir Johnson said that the team always brings their A-game.

“We’re a family, I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” said Johnson over excited screams and cheers from the rest of his teammates.

Besides the football team, all members of Kean University sports were honored with recognition and time allotted to debut their own videos showcasing their team. Some were exceptional and serious (like female lacrosse and men’s football), showing an intimidating side to the game but some, such as the women’s soccer team had the crowd near tears in laughter. Creatively, the girls clipped together videos of the players using Dubsmash, a lip-syncing app that provides users with funny snippets to mouth the words to something, which no one was expecting from a college sports team.

The cheerleading club gets ready to cheer at the pep-rally
Brooke Roderick l The Cougar’s Byte

The night was entertaining to say the least. Multiple contests were held throughout the pep-rally such as a dance competition, a basketball competition, a singing competition, class versus class tug-of-war, and most importantly, the relay.

The relay is important not because it is a three-part challenge of ridiculously fun and silly activities but it stands for something greater. This year, the relay took place as a reminder of Relay For Life, which helps raise awareness and millions of dollars in funding for the American Cancer Society every year.

“How many of you have been affected by cancer,” asked undecided junior Keani Esparra who told the crowd that she relays for both her dad and her grandfather. Relay For Life will be taking place this year on April 1, 2016, in Harwood Arena.

Acts such as the Kean Dance Team (KDT) and the drum line procession amped things up to a new level. The splendor that is always a KDT wowed students as they entered all in black and took their places in the middle of the gym floor. One by one, they unwound themselves from a huddle to disperse throughout the floor and began their performance of dance, flips, and flexibility. Once the night started to dwindle, people were instructed to follow the drum line to the fireworks outside.

The fireworks lit up the entire main campus of Kean University. A beautiful display of sight and sounds, the crowd remained outside until a finale of bangs and booms. Freshman biology major Lorrana Rodriguez posed for pictures with her friends, making memories of a wonderful start to her college career.

“I’m going to love [the next four years] at Kean [University]. Everyone is so excited and the energy is so crazy,” said Rodriguez.

If the pep-rally did anything, it showed that Kean University is a second-home to many students who now call their fellow cougars family. 

The Student Organization hosted their annual homecoming pep-rally 
Brooke Roderick l The Cougar’s Byte