Students were invited to gather outside the Kennel Bookstore on Thursday, Oct. 13, to celebrate National Student Day.

Student organizations such as Student Involvement, Associated Students, Inc., and Vintage Days; Fresno State facilities like University Courtyard and the Kennel Bookstore; and businesses like Apple and Maya Cinemas Fresno 16 hosted booths.

Each group offered a variety of prizes and information sheets.

USU Productions hosted a social media challenge in which students could take photos with the National Student Day geofilter and post it with the hashtag “USU Productions” and “FSNSD” (Fresno State National Student Day) on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat to win one free ticket to the homecoming game on Oct. 14.

“We want them [students] to get more involved, celebrate being a student here at Fresno State and also see the football game,” said Marian Pagaduan, a sophomore and member of the USU Pit Crew.

Q 91.1 All the Hits was there to DJ and emcee a series of competitions such as a box balancing race and a limbo challenge. Winners were given movie tickets to Maya Cinemas 16.

“It seems really cool. I like that Fresno State is taking the time to appreciate its students,” said John Karanja, a senior at Fresno State.

The Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning was also in attendance to promote its Picture the Change Campaign. Students were encouraged to write personal pledges on the “I Pledge” board for service.

David Barrera, a junior ambassador for the Richter Center, explained the campaign.

“For example, if I don’t normally do volunteer service, I could pledge to start volunteer service,” he said. “It could be within my major or with something I love. We encourage students to do volunteer work with our community and with our campus.”

Students were able to engage with one another to celebrate their hard work thus far in the semester.