Great Pumpkin Pop Up
Linus may still be looking for the Great Pumpkin, but Loyola students found the spirit of Halloween at the Great Pumpkin Pop Up in the School of Communication.
Students flocked to the second floor of the SOC to enjoy the recent one-day celebration, which featured pumpkin painting, a Halloween trivia contest, festive music, and plenty of trick or treat candy.
The Great Pumpkin Pop Up was inspired by the Peanuts comics characters – particularly Linus, Sally and Snoopy – who anxiously await the arrival of the mythical Great Pumpkin.
SOC students gather for a midday creative break, painting pumpkins and enjoying candy at the Great Pumpkin Pop Up.
The SOC Media Fellows, a cohort of 27 freshmen students, planned and organized the event with the support of SOC Dean Virginia McDermott. Her challenge to the Media Fellows: Plan a Halloween event that could be assembled and cleaned up in a single day.
The Media Fellows rose to the occasion, planning the purchase and delivery of 108 pumpkins, various Peanuts decorations, 400 pieces of candy and prizes for the trivia contest. They began erecting the simulated pumpkin patch at 8 a.m., and took it all down by 4 p.m.
At the peak of the event, some 50 students jammed the second floor of the SOC to paint pumpkins and grab some candy. By the end of the day, all 108 pumpkins were painted, and the patch was empty.
The second floor of the SOC buzzed with Halloween trivia, music, and hands-on decorating as students turned out in droves for the festive event.
“The turnout was amazing. Students, faculty, and friends filled the space, decorating more than 100 pumpkins and having a great time, McDermott said. “It’s been years since we’ve seen the building that lively. The Media Fellows did such a great job making everyone feel part of it.”
Media Fellow Anjeli Ortiz gets the bulk of the credit for planning the event and ordering the decorations and supplies. She even convinced her mom to pick up the pumpkins from Goebbert’s Farm in suburban South Barrington and deliver them to the SOC in downtown Chicago. Ortiz was assisted by Media Fellow colleagues Norman Tiedemann, Claire Janowski, Nicholas Onthank and Alaina Clayton.
“I thought that the event was a huge success that brought a lot of students together for some nostalgic fun. The Media Fellows events committee, and especially Anjeli Ortiz, did a wonderful job organizing the pop up," Media Fellow Clayton said.
From Peanuts characters to spooky faces, painted pumpkins brought smiles at the one-day Halloween celebration hosted by the Media Fellows.
SOC students who attended the event agreed.
“The event was a ton of fun, and a great opportunity for students to take a beat and be creative during the busy school day,” said senior Ella O’Neill, a multimedia journalism major.
The Media Fellows Program is an exclusive four-year experiential learning opportunity that transforms talented incoming School of Communication students into industry-ready professionals. They attend some classes together, work on service projects, plan campus activities and attend special programs such as an improv class at Second City, and deep-dish pizza making at Pizzeria Uno.
If you are a high school student interested in attending Loyola and becoming a Media Fellow, please visit this site: SOC Media Fellows.
Story by John Slania • Photos by John Slania and Paul Quinn • Nov. 3, 2025
SOC Students Enjoy Great Pumpkin Pop Up
The SOC Media Fellows, a cohort of 27 freshmen students, planned and organized the event with the support of SOC Dean Virginia McDermott. Her challenge to the Media Fellows: Plan a Halloween event that could be assembled and cleaned up in a single day.
The Media Fellows rose to the occasion, planning the purchase and delivery of 108 pumpkins, various Peanuts decorations, 400 pieces of candy and prizes for the trivia contest. They began erecting the simulated pumpkin patch at 8 a.m., and took it all down by 4 p.m.
At the peak of the event, some 50 students jammed the second floor of the SOC to paint pumpkins and grab some candy. By the end of the day, all 108 pumpkins were painted, and the patch was empty.
“The turnout was amazing. Students, faculty, and friends filled the space, decorating more than 100 pumpkins and having a great time, McDermott said. “It’s been years since we’ve seen the building that lively. The Media Fellows did such a great job making everyone feel part of it.”
Media Fellow Anjeli Ortiz gets the bulk of the credit for planning the event and ordering the decorations and supplies. She even convinced her mom to pick up the pumpkins from Goebbert’s Farm in suburban South Barrington and deliver them to the SOC in downtown Chicago. Ortiz was assisted by Media Fellow colleagues Norman Tiedemann, Claire Janowski, Nicholas Onthank and Alaina Clayton.
“I thought that the event was a huge success that brought a lot of students together for some nostalgic fun. The Media Fellows events committee, and especially Anjeli Ortiz, did a wonderful job organizing the pop up," Media Fellow Clayton said.
SOC students who attended the event agreed.
“The event was a ton of fun, and a great opportunity for students to take a beat and be creative during the busy school day,” said senior Ella O’Neill, a multimedia journalism major.
The Media Fellows Program is an exclusive four-year experiential learning opportunity that transforms talented incoming School of Communication students into industry-ready professionals. They attend some classes together, work on service projects, plan campus activities and attend special programs such as an improv class at Second City, and deep-dish pizza making at Pizzeria Uno.
If you are a high school student interested in attending Loyola and becoming a Media Fellow, please visit this site: SOC Media Fellows.