(Photo courtesy UMass Lowell) Homecoming is a weekend students, alumni, family and friends alike to come together and celebrate UMass Lowell.

Jessica Daniliuk
Connector Staff

After the mass amounts of work and stress that came with midterms, homecoming was a breath of fresh air. It was nice to be able to think about something that did not have to do with deadlines or memorization. Although it may not have been exactly what the students were expecting, it was a much-needed break in a rather busy schedule.

Having never been on campus before, I had no idea what to expect from homecoming. I never went to my sister’s family weekend, and always associated homecoming with one of the first weeks in September.

The October dates surprised me, and I also thought there would be events all throughout the week. Regardless, I was excited to see what the school had in store.

The event I anticipated the most was the hockey game. But unfortunately, due to Covid, that didn’t happen, so I am still looking forward to the next home game. During homecoming, I ended up going to the ‘Fall Ball.’

I always love an opportunity to dress up, no matter what it is. I don’t typically have motivation to dress nice when I have classes, most days end up being a ‘sweatpants day.’ So, I typically always jump on an opportunity to put on something cute and just look my best.

The fall ball was my first opportunity to do this in a while.

I had no expectations when it came to this dance. I had no idea how many people would go, and what they would end up wearing. Most of the UMass students understood the assignment better than those who attended the Met Gala this year.

I was impressed with myself for wearing heeled boots, but people were coming in gorgeous floor length gowns, with the shoes and accessories to match. I honestly forgot where I was for a second and was just waiting to see the next impeccable outfit.

I don’t know how to participate in any casino games, so I ended up just dancing or walking around, something I knew I could easily manage. The dancing was fun, especially when they put on the classic group dance songs and everyone in the room joined in. I feel like a lot of people treated this as a prom they might not have had because of covid, which is nice to see.

They also had a cute photobooth where you could take three different photos and use all sorts of props. My friends and I were definitely not prepared for the quick transitions between photos but that made them even better.

My only complaint would be that everything felt very cramped. We were all put on the second floor, so I was constantly stepping on people’s feet and the aforementioned floor length gowns. But, in general, it was a good night and didn’t feel as much like a high school dance as I thought it might.

Although I did not go to the ‘Riverhawk Rally,’ I heard it was kind of kid oriented, which would make sense for family weekend. Overall, I would have loved to see more large events, especially since we couldn’t have the hockey game. I also would have loved to see more for the families to do. With midterms and all the stress this semester has already given, it was nice to meet other students and relax, if just for a few days.