Lion Bash was, without a doubt, one of the first large-scale university events I attended as a freshman. I recall hearing about it in one of the new student pamphlets that were presented to us upon arriving at the school.

I was amazed by the size and scope of LionBash. I came from a small suburban town to the southeast of Pennsylvania and was not really accustomed to seeing an entire community come together for one event. I spent the first half-hour or so walking up and down Allen street just observing the stands and tables that were displayed in those three blocks or so. One of the first things I noticed was how many university-based organizations and clubs there were. Throughout the day, I saw multiple performing arts, service, interest, and political student groups recruiting and sharing their ideas and opinions with the public. A group that, in particular, caught my eye was an organization that dressed up as fictional characters such as superheroes and fairytale characters to spend time with children with terminal diseases at medical institutions. Seeing the amount of passion that the group had was a clear indication that Penn State was the school for me.

Additionally, the politics-based interest groups that I saw also caught my attention. Though I was not a very politically involved high school student, politics-based groups that I saw at LionBash helped present me with a new perspective in aspects of American Politics. For example, until LionBash, I was not completely aware of “Gerrymandering” as a term. Though in high school, we were briefly taught terminology and definitions for the word, I never really saw it come onto play until LionBash. Having “Gerrymandering” explained to me and demonstrated on a map helped me solidify my understanding of the term and realize its influence in political elections and how it resonates as a negative aspect of American politics.

Finally, something that I saw that day that inspired me the most was the public service groups that came out to become more involved with the communities that they served. A prime example of this was a presentation by the Centre County fire department division that services the area surrounding Penn State. Throughout our daily lives, we never really stop to think about and appreciate all the hard work and sacrifices of the men and women working in fields of public service. That day, I saw a group of 4 firemen sing a song for the public at the LionBash event. Seeing the smiles and pure sense of enjoyment on people’s faces, I understood that the event’s true purpose was to help strengthen the relationships of the community as a whole.

Caricature done at LionBash