Even though Halloween has come to an end, that doesn’t mean the Halloween spirit can’t keep celebrating! At 5 p.m. on November 3rd, the Asian Student Association (ASA) hosted their first ever cosplay/costume contest in the Bishops Lounge. The event started off with a bang, with the first twenty people who arrived receiving a specialized goodie bag full of treats and trinkets, from snacks to bookmarks to a little keychain hidden in a coin purse. 

The food was catered from a Chinese restaurant called “Ruby Garden” in Georgetown. The dishes included were spring rolls, fried potstickers, sesame chicken, and white rice. Also included were cups of ramen and a varied assortment of Asian candy and biscuits. While costumes weren’t mandatory, everyone was able to come together and connect, getting the opportunity to meet new faces and introduce themselves. ASA president Sofia Bastaki ‘26 also came around to take polaroids of people’s costumes and let them keep the photos as a souvenir to remember the event.

At 6 p.m., it was time for the costume contest to begin. The competition consisted of eight people, who each received a number and lined up accordingly to show off their costume to everyone. After a number was called and the person showed off their looks, the audience would then close their eyes and raise their hands to vote on which costumes they liked, with the ability to vote more than once. 

After tallying up the scores, the ASA officers announced the top three winners in order to present each of them with a themed gift basket filled with merch, cultural snacks, and other fun stationeries. The winner of first place, and the first choice, was Isa Pirkey ‘28 as Rory Mercury from Gate, choosing the Hello Kitty themed gift basket. Second place was Gigi Williams ‘27, with her handmade costume of Katara as the Painted Lady from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and she chose the Studio Ghibli themed gift basket. And finally, in third place was Alan Torres ‘29 as the Phantom of the Opera, with the Pokémon themed gift basket as his reward. 

It is safe to say that the Asian Student Association’s first cosplay-a-thon was a resounding success. Many students dropped by not just to grab the delicious food, but to discuss their own interests through their costumes and get to know each other better. This event allowed students to come together and express themselves through the creative outlet of cosplay, as well as providing a perfect opportunity to meet like minded individuals. With the excitement from the evening, we can’t wait to see what they have in store for next year!