Story and photos by Andrea Valadez
Students were given a chance to relax in preparation for the stress of finals week at a Lego-making event held by The Makerspace of California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) on Thursday, Dec. 8.
Located on the third floor of the Tanimura & Antle Family Memorial Library, the Makerspace “is a collaborative workspace where students, staff, and faculty can use a variety of tools and materials for free.” Alongside their everyday opportunities for de-stressing through crafting, the Makerspaces also holds special events like this one.
“I hope [students] just relax a little and are able to return to studying and get back to work. I know it’s crunch time,” said Makerspace Coordinator Rachell Hester.
The night was just one part of the weeklong Welcome to Finals (WTF) events put on by CSUMB to help students de-stress and enjoy some fun activities before final exams ramp up this week.
“It’s nice that the school has events like this… it soothes the anxiety,” surrounding the end of the semester, said first-year Evelyn Stevenson.
Around 25 people were in the Makerspace diligently playing with various Lego kits and building different objects such as castles, ships, flowers and more.
Students also appreciated the event because of the calming effect Legos can have on every one since you can follow instructions without really thinking and still end up with a fun creation.
According to Hester, the Makerspace is “already planning workshops for the spring… we’re open to student groups, clubs and collaborations with other departments.”
Hester said the turnout for this semester’s events has been “so far so good, we also had a great turnout for open mic night [on Dec. 7] and it was really fun.”
There will also continue to be game nights on the Nintendo Switch, various board games and some more de-stressing days in the upcoming spring semester. So if you missed last week’s Legos night, there will definitely be more opportunities in the future to join in on some wholesome fun.
