On Thursday, January 30, the Kean P.U.L.S.E. Programming Board hosted Lunar New Year in the Miron Student Center (MSC) Atrium. From 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., students enjoyed delicious foods and rich traditions of the cultures that celebrate Lunar New Year. Students had the opportunity to receive a complimentary t-shirt and tickets for food and Bobba tea upon check-in. 

The MSC Atrium was adorned with beautiful traditional Lunar New Year decorations. There were long lines of students eager to indulge in delicious cultural cuisines like Chicken Lo Mein, chicken dumplings, and vegetable dumplings. There was also different flavored Bobba tea for attendees to explore.  

Edith Chukwuele, a Cybersecurity major and freshman from Newark, shared her excitement for learning about the culture and traditions of Lunar New Year. 

“I decided to come to the event because it’s always nice to learn about something new. I’ve never seen a Chinese event or like Chinese New Year, so coming here, I feel like I get to see new experiences and learn about their traditions.” 

Christopher Vallas, a Computer Science major and senior from Wallington stated how he appreciates the univeristy’s effort in celebrating different cultures. 

“I think it’s a cool celebration of Chinese New Year. [It’s cool] that our school gets to do this and we get to see the culture of the Chinese people. Also, there’s a lot of free stuff and free food that we get to not only see but experience it.” 

The students enjoyed the delicious flavors of the traditional Chinese cuisine. There were also pamphlets and fans for students to wave proudly to represent their culture. 

Pingxin Wang, a Business Analytics major and senior from China, expressed his excitement and curiosity for the event. 

“Well, I am Chinese, I did not get to have the Lunar New Year in my home country and of course I want to come to this and meet new people. I just want to check out the food and see if there are real tradition Chinese food around here.” 

There was also traditional Chinese music as well as a dance performance from the Chinese Dragon. 

Lunar New Year was a great event that brought the entire campus community together to celebrate our diversity as a university. The university aims to acknowledge and recognize the backgrounds and differences that make our community unique.