By Marcella Moore
The Sneaker Ball, thought of and arranged by Student Government at Tri-C, seemed to have seen such success last semester that they did a repeat. The 2025 Sneaker Ball was a night of exceeded expectations and enjoyment. The primary focal point of the dance was the benefits it provides back to the students. 100% of proceeds raised from the dance goes into the food pantry for Tri-C students.
The process behind the Sneaker Ball is an interesting one. Brandon, former member of Student Government shared the initial goals from the first Sneaker Ball. “Our main motivation was that we needed to do something more involved with the students.” In addition to engagement and fellowship, Alex, president of Campus Activity Board (CAB) shares the goal of showing students that they’re doing this journey together with others. “You’re not alone.”
The 2025 Sneaker Ball had almost double the attendance compared to the prior year. 50 tickets were sold in 2024 while this year, they sold 102. On the topic of attendance, some leaders shared “Last year it was more of an Eastern Campus thing but this year people personally went out to different campuses to talk to them.”
There was some hesitations about going to a “Sneaker Ball” at Tri-C. However, the reality far exceeded many students’ and staff’ expectations. The energy at the dance was contagious with unexpected attendees “getting low” and many learning new dances. There was a level of engagement not witnessed on a typical day. Faculty, security,young students, and seasoned students, all dancing together. Some people entered, initially nervous and withdrawn, then stepped out of their comfort zone and connected with others. There was a strong sense of community being accomplished during this event.
Many people came in with different expectations on how the Sneaker Ball would go. Some attendees had notable comments on the event. “I love seeing the different shoes.” “The DJ definitely has us dancing nonstop.” There were so many compliments from attendees. The popular consensus was “It was fun, I had a really good time.” The event had “great vibes” with “everyone smiling, laughing, and having a great time.” Some staff noted that it was nice to be with the students and faculty outside of class and let their hair down.
There were a few notes for improvement, with the main being “Turn the lights down, maybe add some LED lights to set the mood.” Others stated that there was a need for earlier promotion as some found out “a week before.” There were also suggestions to open it up to the community or find a middle location for all 4 schools to gather.
Shoutout to the superstars who put this all together from student government, to CAB, to student engagement. Your hard work, resilience, and intention paid off and we would not have had this without you all. Shoutout DJ Sample God for keeping us moving all night with the line dances! And finally, a shoutout from Dr. Kitchen to the organizers of it all: Student Government, CAB and Student Life.
“I appreciate their organization, I appreciate their commitment. They did this. They made sure we had security and the space. So, kudos to them. It’s not easy being a student, being engaged in your academic work and taking on the responsibilities to do things for your peers so kudos to them; I appreciate their leadership.”
If you’re excited to see what other events of equal energy may be coming up, Student Life Director James Gardner shares that they have something for Spring Semester. “We’re planning another Sneaker Ball next fall but for the Spring, we have 2 events. One, we’re going to call a Line Dance Palooza. We have an instructor already who’s going to teach it—a college wide event too.” He shares that the other will be an off campus activity soon to be announced. Either way, you don’t want to miss out. Stay updated through Student Life and Student Engagement offices. Look out for postings and see you at the next Tri-C community event.
