Dashyia Randolph

Contributing Writer

About 800 people attended East Stroudsburg University’s Color Me Warrior event this year, gathering for an evening of music, dancing and neon-colored paint.

“Color Me Warrior is a campus tradition which goes back 11 years, though there was a pause during the pandemic,” said Fernando Alcantar, director of Student Involvement and Leadership development at ESU.

Students received free white shirts with the event logo before entering the orange-fenced area about 10 feet from the stage, where they were sprayed with neon-colored paint.

The event began at 8 p.m. and ended at 10 p.m. ESU gave away 500 shirts, with about 300 people waiting in line before the event began, Alcantar said. The area opened at 7:30 p.m., and students began dancing as soon as the event started.

For the past three years, the event has included a Battle of the DJs component. Three DJs each have 10 minutes, back-to-back, to get the crowd excited with competing styles. Alcantar said the event previously featured one DJ before the Battle of the DJs was added.

Alcantar described Color Me Warrior as “one of the students’ favorite events with excitement going from the beginning.”

Carolyn Otis, a student who attended the event, participated in dancing and singing. When she arrived, she waited in line for a T-shirt and described the energy as “alive.”

“You’re with your friends, and it’s an original experience you never get to do anywhere else,” Otis said.

Alcantar said students also attend Color Me Warrior for “immersive experiences” and memories. He said the event gives students a chance to let go, dance, scream and sing while paint falls around them.

He also described the event as “a hot mess that students make an annual ritual.” He said students walk to Wawa and other venues covered in paint after the event.

The event also gives students the opportunity to take part in an experience that is different from a typical campus gathering. Alcantar said students are looking for experiences they can remember, while Otis said the event stands out because it is something she can do while hanging out with her friends.

Color Me Warrior’s combination of music, dancing and paint gives students a chance to spend time with friends while participating in an annual ESU tradition. With hundreds of students attending and the event continuing to draw participants each year, Color Me Warrior remains a large social event on campus.