WEB EXCLUSIVE DECEMBER EDITION
First-Gen Loteria Night brings students together for fun, prizes
Pre-exam Jam a stress-lowering student event
By David Gomez Jr.
Editor-in-chief
Published Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021
CAB hosted its First-Gen Loteria Night on Thursday, Nov. 11, as part of celebrating the achievements of first-generation college students, faculty and staff.
The event was popular enough that Rooms 126 and 128 of the Academic Innovation Center were used to host the event.
Ms. TAMIU Anabel Contreras performs caller duties during La Loteria Night on Nov. 11 in AIC Room 126.
“This is a [Campus Activities Board]-sponsored event and we have them throughout each semester and they’re one of our most popular events,” junior Victoria Moreno said.
CAB sponsored this event to not only acknowledge first-generation students, but also as a learning experience.
“[This is] where you can basically learn more about heritage and culture and be able to communicate with other students and just hang,” CAB adviser Pedro Rivera said.
In between the rooms of the AIC, students discovered tables filled with sliders, candy and bagged chips with a choice of chili and/or cheese for the bags.
“We have this event where it’s there to teach cultural heritage—in the form of Loteria—where you have fun, some food and prizes,” Rivera said.
Campus and orientation activities fees fund these types of events for prize support. The prizes won throughout the night consisted of small appliances to bigger prizes, such as an air fryer or flat-screen TV. Prizes included those that can easily fit in a college dorm room.
“This is part of the reason why we constantly ask students to participate,” Rivera said.
“This is literally your money.”
CAB attempts to keep the trust going with the Texas A&M International University student body.
“The way that it works is the affinity with the University and the only way we can do it is having the opportunity for events like this,” Rivera added. “But we also have different types of events.”
The week that followed, on Nov. 18, CAB hosted another event in the lawn between the Center for the Fine and Performing Arts and Sen. Judith Zaffirini Student Success Center.
Student Ashley Niño swings a sledgehammer at a large tractor tire during the CAB-sponsored Pre-exam Jam on Nov. 18.
“Pre-exam Jam [is] where students can destress before finals,” he said.
Rivera continued to explain the event.
“We’ll be having inflatables, [do-it-yourself] activities, giveaways and something called a smash booth, which is—in essence—where you put plates in a baggy and you destroy that thing,” Rivera said.
“It’s just an opportunity where you can destress before finals.”
Thanks.