The Big Deal is a Pretty Big Deal

At the beginning of each school year, the University of North Alabama hosts The Big Deal, an event organized to show new students all that the community has to offer. Roads are blocked off and filled with booths belonging to campus organizations, local businesses, community resources, and more. This was my first year attending and my biggest takeaway was: I have been missing out.

My first semester at UNA was filled with band practice and lots of studying. Therefore, it took some convincing to make me leave my dorm to attend campus events. I had seen the posters for The Big Deal all over campus, but I never really knew what it was. In my sophomore year, I was more familiar with the event but simply chose not to go. It wasn't until the start of my junior year that a friend and I decided to attend our first Big Deal together.

The music and live DJ were the first things that drew me in. As I walked down the stairs to the band room, I glanced over and saw a huge crowd dancing in the road. My friend Juli and I decided that this was a sign, and we mindlessly followed the melodies of early 2000s hits like it was our yellow brick road. In a way it was, if you consider free food to be equal to the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

After eating a plateful of delicious hand-cooked food, we pushed our way through the crowd of dancers. On the other side were what appeared to be 100s of tables and booths. We stopped at every single one.

Some of our favorite booths were Grit Fitness (a boutique fitness company), Quench (a wellness drink store), Toasty (a coffee shop), Sydney Gail Creations (a small sticker business), UNA's DEI department, and Thrive (a community resource that prioritizes giving people access to various forms of healthcare). Each offered coupons, free samples, or vouchers for products.

I left with a bag filled with goodies and regret for not checking out The Big Deal sooner. Freshmen, go to campus events! They are worth it! Upperclassmen, you're never too old (or too cool) to try something new. The Big Deal, I'll see you again next year!