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College Of New Rochelle Celebrates 42nd Annual Strawberry Festival

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- The College of New Rochelle opened its campus to the surrounding community in celebration of everything spring for its 42nd annual Strawberry Festival on Sunday, May 4.

Melody Rodriguez got in the spirit by donning a strawberry themed costume.

Melody Rodriguez got in the spirit by donning a strawberry themed costume.

Photo Credit: Suzanne Samin
Alyssa Medina, Bianca Jennot, Surya Brissett and Amanda Hernandez were tabling on behalf of their anime club.

Alyssa Medina, Bianca Jennot, Surya Brissett and Amanda Hernandez were tabling on behalf of their anime club.

Photo Credit: Suzanne Samin
Guests enjoyed a blow up castle.

Guests enjoyed a blow up castle.

Photo Credit: Suzanne Samin
A girl gets her face painted.

A girl gets her face painted.

Photo Credit: Suzanne Samin

Guests enjoyed outdoor activities, music, games, entertainment, vendors and strawberry treats, along with music and beautiful weather. 

Melissa Becker, assistant director of student development, organized the event along with a student committee and the student government.

According to Becker, the main point of the event is community outreach and all the proceeds from ticket sales go directly to funding the following year's festival.

"We have 23 different student organizations on campus that have booths here with activities and treats for the community," she said. "Everyone is welcome, and we reach out to other schools and invite them to come as well." 

One of those organizations was the College of New Rochelle Japanese Anime Club, whose participation was for a little more than just community outreach. 

Bianca Jeannot, a sophomore from the Bronx who is president of the club, said her organization was experiencing trouble getting formal recognition from the college, which denied their application earlier this year due to perceived lack of interest.

"The denial happened in the spring, because the student government wasn't sure of how successful we would be, and they wanted to help us plan a couple of events to see how they went before officially making us a club," she said.

However, according to Jeannot, the club has more than 30 members. The club's participation in the festival was, in part, to show the student government that people on campus are interested in Japanese culture.

"We have a lot of members who are really interested, and even more people who want to join. I'm hoping they can see that," she said. 

@suzannesamin

ssamin@dailyvoice.com

 

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