Florida International University (FIU) marked the start of the holiday season with its first Christmas tree lighting ceremony on December 3. The event, hosted by President Jeanette M. Nuñez at the Reagan House on campus, drew hundreds of faculty, staff, students, and community members.
Attendees enjoyed performances from the Dazzlers, cheerleaders, and the FIU Marching Band and color guard. Children participated in activities such as writing letters to Santa and making crafts. A photo booth allowed guests to take pictures with Roary, FIU’s mascot dressed as Santa Claus.
During the ceremony, President Nuñez addressed those gathered: “I for one am delighted to welcome you all here to Reagan House for the inaugural presidential tree lighting ceremony,” she said. “I’m so excited to kick off this event because we get to kick off the holiday season where we celebrate family, we celebrate with each other and your Panther Nation. It’s a season of giving and it’s a season of reflecting on all of our blessings.”
After a countdown led by Nuñez, a decorated tree was lit up with multi-colored lights topped by a golden star. Students from the Wertheim School of Music performed classic Christmas carols following the lighting.
Several attendees expressed their appreciation for the new tradition. Elise Mora, a nursing major, said: “I’m ecstatic to be here. We wanted an event like this even before it was announced. We were walking at the bookstore one day, and we asked ourselves, ‘Why don’t we have a campus tree? We should have one. And later on, when we saw the email about the tree lighting, we just knew we had to come.”
Francesca DeRossi, an architecture major who attended with Mora, commented: “We loved this tree lighting. I’m doing the Christmas vibes. We’re gathering with the community…This is fun.”
Artem Zastoupailo from FIU’s College of Arts, Science and Education noted: “It’s a beautiful time when we can focus on happiness and positivity,” he said. “And it’s great to connect with colleagues and students. This puts everything in a positive perspective.”
The event included families as well as university staff members bringing their children to participate in festivities such as creating ornaments and meeting Roary.
Stephanie Aponte from FIU’s Office of the Provost brought her daughters Ava and Mia to experience what she described as “a great way for us to share in the FIU community.” Ava highlighted meeting cheerleaders and Roary as her favorite part while Mia appreciated seeing friends at what she called her “second home.”
Other university employees also reflected positively on their experiences at this first-time event. Lynette Duque-Santana said: “This is my first tree lighting, and I’m excited to be here…The music is beautiful. It is a nice relaxing ambiance.” Herve-Serge Menyonga called it “a new tradition for FIU” that brought out school spirit through music and performance.
Christine I. Caly-Sanchez remarked: “We need this,” she said. “This is the best event to come together to feel the warmth of community.”
