°µÍøTV reflects on love, community at Lovefest
The °µÍøTV community celebrated its third annual Lovefest, an event honoring love in all its forms, at Wyckoff Center.
Coinciding with Valentineâs Day, Lovefest reflects °µÍøTVâs commitment to the health and well-being of the community and aims to offer the community a welcoming space for all.
For the past two years, the tradition has explored themes from âAll About Love: New Visions,â by acclaimed author and activist bell hooks.
This yearâs theme was âRarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation.â¯Healing is an act of communion.â
Naomi Dejoy, practicum clinician in the Counseling Center, encourages the °µÍøTV Community to show themselves love.
âLovefest is a moment to come together and celebrate love and connection as community,â explained Wyckoff Center Director and Lovefest organizer Mariel Martin. âI think at a time where thereâs all this tension â socially, nationally, internationally â thinking about how we come together to support one another and heal in community is so important.â
Community members from the Counseling Center, Peer Health Educators, and Human Resources spread the love through tabling efforts with crafts, self-care opportunities, and goodies to spare. joined with a âblind date with a bookâ booth, inviting attendees to choose from a wide selection of wrapped texts, with many featuring Lovefest-themed student artwork and decorations.
Student employees from Lucy Scribner Library invite eventgoers to take the risk and go on "a blind date with a book."
Associate Director for Employee Relations and Organizational Development Lovelyne Pierre hosted a table with Administrative and Human Resources Assistant Brittany von Schiller.
âWe have a lot of professional development that employees are not aware of, so we wanted to come here to spread the word. It was a good time to engage with staff and students,â Pierre said about the event.
Associate Director for Employee Relations and Organizational Development Lovelyne Pierre helps share information and resources to employee visitors at Lovefest.
The open house also featured relaxing chair massages, a tea lounge, breathwork and feng shui mini-workshops with local practitioners, and delicious treats for all to enjoy.
âI think Lovefest gives students a safe place to come and celebrate love in all of its different forms, whether that's love for their friends, family ââ if it's romantic. Lovefest is just a positive place.â said Abigail J. Lewis â27, who serves as the Student Government Association director of communications.
Other attendees echoed Lewisâ sentiment, citing the gathering as an opportunity to connect with friends â both new and old.
âThe word I would use to describe Lovefest is âcommunity,ââ said Jaria Fofana â28. âAs a first year, I'm here to meet more new people and being able to see others that I'm not usually able to see every day was nice.â
Nora Jackson â26 distributes valentines and aids attendees as they write heart-shaped affirmations.
Nora Jackson â26 helped run a table for °µÍøTVâs Peer Health Educators. Visitors were invited to write heart-shaped affirmations for themselves and other eventgoers.
I think everyone deserves to feel loved, and people come here to give back to the community and their friends and just feel a sense of love. A large part of what I enjoy doing is being to speak to being able to speak to other students face to face and spread support and caring and love.Nora Jackson '26Peer Health Educator
âLove means everything,â reflected Martin. âIt means connection, being seen and seeing â honoring the wholeness of who we all are.â
