The San Jacinto College District hosted Social Media Day on each of the three campuses, Sept. 9, 10 and 11, where students were encouraged to connect with their campus and one another through social media.

According to Scylla Lopez, the District’s Social Media Coordinator, the College brought in speakers last year, but this year decided to take a different approach and “just focus on promoting social media”.

North campus hosted a cake decorating contest, courtesy of their pastry students; while Central campus played volleyball with the help of Rec Sports. South campus’s event featured face painting and manicures courtesy of South campus Cosmetology.

Despite the heat and humidity, Central campus students continued to play volleyball. Participant Hannah Hoffman, an assistant for Rec Sports at Central campus, said Social Media Day helped bring strangers together to socialize while working toward a common goal. “I know I personally haven’t met any of these people [before],” Hoffman said.

Meanwhile, Lopez said this year’s turnout was better than expected. She credited giveaways at Central campus for increased traffic saying students care about “… the free stuff.”

The giveaway table featured a spinning wheel that determined whether the participant would win a pen, notepad or hat. After that, students stopped to take pictures at the selfie photo shoot station.

Lopez said current technological trends are important to the College because that is how students communicate with each other.

“Social media isn’t going away,” Lopez said, “and that’s why we’ve decided to invest so much in social media.”