UTA Maverick dancer Ashyrane Allen performs during UTA Founder’s Day on Oct. 11, 2023, at Brazos Park.
File photo / Christine Vo
Cheerleaders, music, cake. Celebrate the university’s birthday and history at the Founder’s Day Festival from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Brazos Park.
Hosted by the UTA Ambassadors, the annual celebration brings students together to celebrate the university’s founding, history and achievements with activities and entertainment. Raising Cane’s, a dessert food truck and more will provide food and drinks.
Marcos Slater, Mr. UTA and co-president of the UTA Ambassadors, said the event is a large celebration where the Maverick community comes together to commemorate what they most like about the school.
The event emphasizes campus pride and spirit, he said. Spirit groups, the band and the cheerleaders will perform, continuing long-held traditions at the event, he said.
“This is UTA’s birthday,” Slater said. “The whole point of this event is to celebrate UTA’s birthday.”
Two new, special events have been added to the festival, he said. There will be a bell ceremony to acknowledge the past, present and future of the campus, Slater said.
“We’re going to have someone ring the bell for the past, someone ring the bell for the future and someone ringing the bell for the present,” he said. “Each ring will represent different stages of UTA.”
The second event will be a legacy photo. The Ambassadors will gather all the students in attendance and take a picture of everyone together, he said.
“Passports” will be given to students, who can visit different stations to complete them. Once finished, students will go to the banner, put a thumbprint on the banner and sign their names, Slater said.
He said that when it’s someone’s birthday, they typically let loose and have as much fun as they can. Slater said the Ambassadors wanted to create that feeling through the event while showing everything the campus has to offer.
“You’re celebrating everything that’s happened,” he said. “We’re not sad that it’s another year. We are happy, and if anything, people should almost be concerned with how happy you are.”
News editor James Ward contributed to this article.
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