Tasia Jensen wants students to always remember their dreams.
Jensen, the associate director of arts and special events for the Union Programming Council, assisted in planning and executing the “Make Your Dreams Come True” event in the Union on Wednesday afternoon. The event encouraged students to work towards meeting their goals both in and after college.
“Sometimes we forget why we’re even in school,” said Jensen, a junior in film. “Today we wanted to refocus on dreams and remind students what keeps us here.”
A carnival-like affair, the event featured a wishing well, tarot card readers from the Salt Lake Pagan Society and various arts-and-crafts opportunities. Students could decorate cookies, make “dream boards” on small chalkboards or plant a few flower seeds in a paper cup to “watch their dreams grow.”
“We wanted this to be an escape for students,” Jensen said.
The concept for Wednesday’s event stems from UPC’s desire to celebrate random holidays throughout the year, including Make Your Dreams Come True Day. Although the holiday is officially celebrated Jan. 14, the UPC let the idea inspire their February event.
Mary Neville, a junior in mathematics and UPC’s director of arts and special events, said her main objective in organizing the event was to build community in the Union.
“We just want to give students a good time,” Neville said. “Today is a chance to make some crafts, have fun and be a little more involved here at the U.”
Neville said she was pleased with the event’s outcome and the amount of student participation. She said any attendance is a success if just one student enjoys the event.
Daniel Cureton, founder of the Salt Lake Pagan Society, gave free tarot readings to students at the event. Cureton founded the U of U Pagan Society in 2009 as an undergraduate in the gender studies program. The society has since evolved into a community organization with a student branch on campus.
“We do free tarot whenever we can,” Cureton said. “It’s a spiritual service that we enjoy providing to the community.”
The society also benefitted from its involvement in UPC’s event. The tarot table was busy all afternoon, giving Cureton the chance to talk about tarot and paganism with university students in attempts to dispel popular myths about the religion.
For freshman Natasia Crowe, a double major in Korean and accounting, the event was a chance to unwind and motivate herself.
“College is stressful,” she said. “Stuff like this reminds me that it’s all in the name of reaching a goal.”
Sarah Brown, a sophomore in marketing, said the event was unique. She was looking forward to making a vision board and getting her tarot cards read.
“I’ve never been to anything like this on campus,” Brown said.
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