Fresno State’s Kennel Bookstore and University Student Union Productions celebrated Fresno State students at the fourth annual National Student Day on Wednesday in the Memorial Garden.

Students grabbed nachos for free at a stand near the entrance and participated in a variety of games and activities.

Alejandra Prado, graduate assistant for campus events and programming, said the event celebrates all the hard work students do and is a way for students to relax as organizations around campus provide activities for them to enjoy.

Participating students got a goodie bag after visiting any six tables set up.

“National Student Day’s title is ‘Study, Serve, Celebrate,’ so we’re trying to encompass that slogan into what we do here at Fresno State,” Prado said. “There’s a National Student Day that’s across the United States, but this year they didn’t have the national one, so we wanted to continue having National Student Day here at Fresno State.”

Prado said the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement was also there.

“They have their ‘I pledge,’ so they [students] pledge to do community service or they pledge to encourage students to give back to the community,” she said.

Prado expected about 500 or more students to participate in the event this year.

Curt Parkinson, director of the Kennel Bookstore, said the National Association of College Stores sparked the nationwide event five years ago.

“It’s an event where bookstores could get involved in celebration of students that serve the community,” Parkinson said. “It’s always very important that our students serve the community and the campus. It’s a day to have fun, a day of prizes and everything else.”

Francisco Buscio, ambassador for the Richter Center, stood behind a table overlooking a bean-bag tossing game at the event.

Buscio said the center was at the event to bring attention to the services it offers, which include activities like blood drives, nearly 200 service-learning courses and long-term internships with local school districts.

“We’re here more on the volunteer aspect of Fresno State because Fresno State has a long history of being involved in volunteer work,” Buscio said. “We just want students to know that we do service here at Fresno State, and if you’re a new student, you could get more involved in some of the community work.”

Communications and French major Alyssa Hance said she thought the event was a good opportunity to embrace the “Bulldog spirit.”

“I think it’s really fun for students to come out and see all of the services that [are] offered,” Hance said.

“[Fresno State] really takes pride in their students, and you can really tell with all the events,” Hance said. “And everybody here [is] really positive so I think it’s a really good environment.”

Prado said USU Productions has planned a karaoke night next Thursday and a Halloween event happening at the end of October, which will feature “hypnotist Chris Jones on Halloween day, following a movie screening of ‘Hocus Pocus.’”