UCF students line up in front of the craft table at the Valentine’s Day-themed event “A Knight to Remember” at Memory Mall on Monday.
by Maria Fernanda Valente Pereira
As the sun set over UCF’s Memory Mall on Monday, students convened on the lawn for an evening of crafts, conversation and film.
UCF’s Campus Activity Board hosted “A Knight to Remember,” a free Valentine’s-themed event that invited students to slow down and connect during a busy point in the semester. Starting at 5 p.m., the event featured bouquet-making with pipe cleaners, pot painting, love letter stations and an outdoor screening of “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.”
Freshman music majors Ruby Sad and Eiva Tinney paint pots at a Valentine’s Day-themed event “A Knight to Remember” at Memory Mall on Monday.
by Maria Fernanda Valente Pereira
For Eiva Tinney and Ruby Sad, freshman music majors who met through their classes, the crafts were the main draw. Tinney said she was excited by the bouquet and pot-painting stations, while Sad said that Valentine’s Day has always been something she associates with happiness.
“I love Valentine’s Day,” Sad said. “My birthday is two days after, so it’s just a really good time. Everyone’s happy. I love the colors.”
Tinney added that the event helped set the tone for the holiday, especially during a hectic semester.
“It’s getting me in the mood,” Tinney said. “And these can be gifts for someone else too, which makes it really fun and really cute.”
Both romance and a sense of broader connection were evident across the event. Lola Plagmann, freshman clinical psychology major, and her boyfriend, Jairo Flores, freshman kinesiology major, said Valentine’s Day is often framed as exclusive, even though it doesn’t have to be.
“I think a lot of people see it as only for couples,” Plagmann said. “But it can be about spreading love to everyone, your friends, your family, anyone.”
Flores agreed, noting that while the event offered a bonding moment for couples, it also brought together groups of friends across campus.
“You see people in groups just enjoying each other’s company,” he said. “It’s not just about dating.”
For Mackenzie Pace, senior early childhood education major, Gabriella Vonberger, junior criminal justice major, and Andrea Calligaro, junior integrated business major, the event offered something simple yet meaningful: time together.
“This is our only time we really get to see each other,” Pace said.
Pace added that free events give students something to look forward to outside of class.
“Not everything needs a price tag,” Mary-Kate Starr, CAB’s cinema director and senior business major, said. “It’s about giving students a space to come if they want, relax and feel part of something.”
Behind the scenes, organizers said inclusivity was intentional. Starr said the movie choice was also student-driven. The board held a poll months earlier, allowing students to vote on their favorite Valentine’s movie.
“When students feel like they had a say, it makes the experience more meaningful,” Starr said. “The goal is for people who love films, or crafts, or art, to come together and meet others they connect with.”
Nyla Julmisse, CAB’s director of fine arts and senior accounting major, said the hands-on crafts were designed to encourage interaction.
“Students can come and make something together and maybe even find a friend while they do it,” Julmisse said. “It’s about building genuine connections.”