By Xypher Pino

Head out on the highway to Homecoming! Numerous events themed around various destinations across the country were held as part of Homecoming Week at Greensboro College. The week of Oct. 20, 2025, was packed with excitement and adventure as the GC community came together to celebrate with Pride.

Kicking off the week was a special dinner at Fowler Dining Hall highlighting favorite foods from different states across the U.S. From classic North Carolina barbeque to Philly cheesesteaks, the variety of food was great. That same night, there was a “Drive-in Cinema” event, featuring the movie Cars, where students could either watch from Pride Field itself or from their vehicles in West Hall parking lot.

“The movie night during homecoming is one of my favorite events we do each year,” said junior Bethany McQuinn. “It was super cold but everyone brought out blankets and comfortable clothes, which was cool. My favorite part for sure was the men’s soccer team coming with air mattresses.”

Of course, you cannot have a U.S. road trip-themed event without featuring Las Vegas in some way – on Tuesday, Oct. 21, Casino Night was held in Main Building. The most popular event of the week by far, numerous students showed up to win some fake money through blackjack, roulette and other games.

“This event felt like the real deal,” said freshman international student David Stupuric. “I like poker a lot, and have been to many casinos. The guys hosting the games felt like real professionals, it was super fun.”

Stupuric and his soccer teammates surely had a blast, winning the most money out of anyone. Participants were able to trade in their winnings for tickets to use in a raffle; with prizes ranging from gift cards to Lego sets and a coffee machine, there was a great variety of items to win.

“I did not win anything at all, but I at least found a new passion for craps. Overall, the event was really great. It was fun seeing everyone put their tickets for the TV, just for someone that was only there for six or seven minutes to win the coveted prize,” said SGA President Sloanne Petersen.

On Oct. 23, the highly anticipated Staff vs. Students Kickball game commenced during lunchtime at Pride Field. It is always a friendly but super competitive matchup as students cherish the chance to defeat some of their favorite GC staff. The students were successful indeed, dominating the game from beginning to end.

“It was a grand old time, lots of fun. We only lost by one or two points, and the student team had three times the amount of people, but you know that is fine,” said Director of Student Activities Jonathan Hall, who participated in the game.

That same night, to prepare students for Halloween next week, the one and only Peter Boie was invited once again to campus for a spooky magic show, Summoning Spirits.

“It was great! My friend got on stage, and she was very spooked. I would say the best part was the last act where in the end the lights cut off; that was pretty sick,” says sophomore Shaniah Taylor.

On Friday, Sankofa Center celebrated its five-year anniversary and added to the joy of homecoming celebrations with a karaoke night. From classics such as “My Way” by Frank Sinatra to more recent songs such as “Die for You” by The Weeknd, students had a blast singing their favorite tunes. After the karaoke night, there was the annual Homecoming Bonfire, a cool and relaxing event as the week wound down. Until 10 p.m., students had s’mores, hot chocolate and cider as they sat around the bonfire at the West Hall volleyball pit sharing and creating memories.

On Saturday, the final day of this eventful week, women’s soccer, men’s soccer and the football team all had home games, with the Homecoming Court ceremony hosted during halftime of the football game. Senior theatre students Eli Brown and Gabby Iwaszkiewicz received the most votes out of all the candidates, being named Big Man on Campus and Homecoming Queen respectively.

“I feel honored that people thought of me,” said Brown. “I was not expecting to win, I did not know that many people even knew my name.”

Iwaszkiewicz also expressed surprise: “I did not expect to win, but it was so fun, especially because I won with one of my best friends!

“It is weird now, though, because people pretend to bow to me or have started calling me a queen. With the tiara I received, I definitely am planning to keep it – it will eventually get used for costumes or various props. I wish I could keep the flowers too because they are beyond gorgeous.”

Homecoming 2025 created an amazing week filled with fun times at Greensboro College. “All of the events had great attendance, and everyone really enjoyed them. The casino night and Summoning Spirits were definitely the two highlights of the week, but really everything went great,” said Hall.

Thank you to Student Activities for this wonderful series of events, and to all those who participated in the festivities.