No one waffles when it comes to Waffle Night, a finals-week tradition held on Monday. “My favorite part is watching everyone interact and just relax,” says Miranda Padilla ’19 of Midland, Texas.
Padilla, a student fellow with the Office of Intercultural Education, the event’s sponsor, helped manage the waffle-creation stations this time around. “There are always so many smiles and laughs,” she says. “That makes the work worth it!”
In the midst of finals pressure, Waffle Night is “something that students look forward to,” says Charlene Holmes, assistant dean for first-generation student support. “It’s also an opportunity for the entire student body to come to the OIE to break bread together.”
Moments from the OIE Waffle Night on Dec. 10, 2018. (Theophil Syslo/Bates College)
As Jade Zhang '21 of Hefei, China, pours a cup of batter onto the griddle, Keirston Johnson '21, an OIE fellow from Tampa, Fla., holds open the waffle iron. (Theophil Syslo/Bates College)
Dawrin Silfa '21 (center) of New York City sprays cooking oil on the griddle. (Theophil Syslo/Bates College)
It's prep time for Waffle Night on Dec. 10. Charlene Holmes, assistant dean for first-generation student support, and Lebanos Mengistu '21 of Somerville, Mass., work with the batter. (Theophil Syslo/Bates College)
Shortly before 10 p.m., Waffle Night is in full swing. (Theophil Syslo/Bates College)
Another OIE fellow, Malik Velmar ‘21 of Yorktown, Va., helped direct traffic through the waffle line. The busy event was “a rush,” says Velmar, a member of the men’s varsity basketball team.
“I didn’t know that there was going to be that many people: Friends from my dorm were here, and some friends from the basketball team came through,” he adds. “There was a lot of different people from different cultures who came together in this one space to have some fun, have a waffle, and take a break from studying.
“It was pretty cool.”
