Having a knack for numbers may help Wharton students in the classroom — but it was decorating gingerbread houses that put some students on top at the annual Winter Whartonland event.
Wharton students filled the Huntsman Hall forum Thursday evening to celebrate the end of the semester.
Attendees enjoyed a variety of desserts and also had the opportunity to have their caricature drawn by a professional caricaturist, take festive photos with a winter backdrop, sample desserts from Jack Kramer’s Catering and even get soothing massages, courtesy of Spa Beau Monde.
“This event provides undergraduates with a chance to get their mind off of school for a bit before finals,” Debbe Velasquez — a graduate assistant for Wharton’s Undergraduate Division Student Life Department — said. Velasquez also helped organize the evening.
The event — sponsored by Wharton Undergraduate Cohorts — was mostly geared toward freshmen to celebrate their completion of Management 100. The cohorts, named after international currencies, provide structure to the Wharton freshman experience by dividing students into smaller communities through the class.
“I came to support Cohort Dollar,” Wharton freshman Elonia McHenry said. “But I’m really looking forward to the gingerbread house making competition.”
Cohort Shekel emerged victorious in the gingerbread contest, earning points toward the Cohort Cup.
Overall, planners and attendees seemed pleased with the event.
“It’s a really great, relaxing event,” Wharton sophomore Tulsi Mehta, a member of the Wharton Cohorts Executive Board, said. “The freshman experience is really important in Wharton, and involvement in the cohort system continues throughout the four years at college.”
Wharton freshman Katie Simon added, “I really enjoyed how it brought together the Wharton community — and the food wasn’t bad either.”
