It was that time of the year again, where students and community members gathered and lined up outside of the Seward County Community College cafeteria for the annual Thanksgiving luncheon served by Great Western Dining. 

The aroma of usual Thanksgiving favorites like mashed potatoes, turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie filled the air. Students were eager to eat, especially freshman chemistry major Iveth Escandon, who was excited to try the turkey this year. 

Thanksgiving isn’t all about the food though, of course. For SCCC students, it’s about spending time with their family. Escandon said that her favorite part about the holiday is getting to see her family that travels from afar. 

Cruz Quirino, freshman nursing major, said that she enjoys sitting at the table each Thanksgiving and talking about what everyone is grateful for. However, at Quirino’s Thanksgiving you won’t find just traditional thanksgiving food, tamales and posole, which seem to be staples among hispanic households during the holidays. 

Among other students Thanksgiving’s, their staple food to bring might be a casserole or a pie, like for freshman biology major Clarice Cain. 

“Sweet potato casserole is a must for my family every year. We shake up the recipe a bit though and will substitute the marshmallows with brown sugar,” Cain said. 

Cain is from Texoma, Oklahoma and said she looks forward to going home for the holidays and being able to catch up with her mom while helping her cook. She also said her family makes it a tradition to watch football every year. 

Lizahi Quinonez, a freshman accounting major from Satanta, said that her family tradition is to go to her cousins house and stay until the late hours of the night, “probably till three in the morning honestly.” 

The highlight of the lunch seemed to be mashed potatoes, which received good reviews from multiple SCCC students. 

“The mashed potatoes were bomb, they actually had flavor and they had a smooth consistency to them which I loved!” Quinonez said, while her friend, freshman business major, Alondra Sanchez, agreed. 

Students enjoyed the luncheon and thought that it was a nice way to include everyone. 

“I think it’s really nice how they invited the community and the students. It gives the students that aren’t from here an opportunity to meet new people,” freshman cosmetology major Alondra Borunda said.