Trap ‘n’ Paint; A Colorful Opening to Freshmore Week

Last Monday evening, February 1, Southern University’s Class of 2023 and Class of 2024 began Freshmore Week with a “Trap and Paint” event, which was held in the Student Union’s Ballroom. Upon entry to the ballroom, students were given light up glasses and designed masks of different styles. Per the new normal, masks were required and social distancing was strictly enforced, with three people being assigned to a table set with canvases, paint, and brushes.
To students’ surprise, all the canvases already had drawings of a SU logo and characters from the Proud Family, which represented the overall theme of Freshmore Week. The sketch consisted of the main character Penny Proud, LaCienega Boulevardez, and an obscure professor-looking character that could not even be found on Google!
Some students liked that the canvases came prepared because they did not know how to draw; other artists were a little upset because they wanted to freestyle. Either way, students thought highly of the painting event. “I feel like it’s unique and different because of the theme,” said Dajah Askins, a freshman Nursing major from Plaquemine, Louisiana.
The event featured music from rap artists such as Megan Thee Stallion, VickeeLo, and BRS Kash which played while students were painting. Carlos Brister, sophomore Class President and mechanical engineering major from Hammond, Louisiana, tried to get the crowd lit by singing Meek Mill’s classic song “Dreams and Nightmares.” The event also featured the reintroduction of the SU Shuffle, a Southern dance that’s traditionally taught to incoming freshmen during their individual orientation sessions leading up to the school year.
When the Trap ‘n’ Paint event was over, students went on stage and showed off their canvases for a photo opportunity. They even used the fun Boomerang feature on Instagram and uploaded them on the University’s Class of 2023 and Class of 2024’s Instagram pages.
For the students involved, many noted that it was a proud moment to watch the freshmen get a little experience of what a normal semester consists of and how active our campus is with events. “I must say this event had an amazing turnout. The moment we said we were having a Trap ‘n’ Paint event, the students were so excited. Had we not been in a COVID space we would have had way more participation. This is an event I want to do again because it was in such high demand,” said Sophomore Class President Carlos Brister. Good luck to the Class of 2024 and we hope to see them enjoy more events during their time at The Southern University!