HSE University Holds New Year [EXTRA] Celebration

On December 19, the atrium of the HSE University Pokrovka building was transformed into a large-scale festive fair with a lectern, master classes, a photo zone, photo booth and other activities. The HSE University Cultural Centre also hosted a lively party with a disco and paper show. The organisers and participants of the New Year [EXTRA] event spoke to the HSE News Service about their impressions of this cheerful celebration.

Arina Berman

‘The idea of organising a New-Year’s celebration came about spontaneously. We decided to gather all the students together and spend time together in a cosy, homey setting. We wanted to take stock of the year with the students and university departments and celebrate what we achieved over the year,’ explains Arina Berman, Manager of the Student Initiative Support Centre.

Yana Zakharova

The New Year’s celebration was organised with the involvement of the Centre for Leadership and Volunteer Work, the Student Initiative Support Centre, the Cultural Centre, the Centre of Music Projects, and student organisations. Yana Zakharova, Project Manager of EXTRA, thanked everyone who got to work so quickly. ‘We could not have created such an event without the team. Some worked on the evening part at the Cultural Centre, others organised the activities in the atrium, and others still oversaw the whole process and came up with the design,’ she says. ‘We had support from Grusha (a favourite student café in the HSE University Pokrovka building – Ed.), who created a special drink that is still available to try. We drew festive postcards, and even brought mandarins around different buildings. A lot of work was done in a short time.’

© HSE University

Visitors to the New Year’s fair could take part in a tea party courtesy of the Tea Club, post-crossing from Best Buddies HSE, master classes on clay modelling and toy painting. The centrepiece was the elegant Christmas tree, which was decorated practically the night before the event. A photo zone was set up around the tree with a fireplace and festive postcards.

The New Year [EXTRA] party ended in the Cultural Centre, where guests enjoyed a reception and members of HSE University student organisations performed on stage. After the concert was a real disco with a DJ set and paper show.

Vlad Bulanov

‘At the concert, I was inspired by a dance number from the HSE for Kids student organisation,’ says Vlad Bulanov, 4^th-year student of the Bachelor’s in Law. ‘And the final song by the choir band Force MAZHOR created an atmosphere of magic and closeness. My main memories of the party are the varied playlist and how fun it was to dance. There were a lot of jam circles—people just got caught up in the music! I want to thank EXTRA for the cool event—I can’t wait for more of them!’

Darina Ryabova

‘As soon as I saw the announcement, I immediately knew that I was going. I wanted to get into the holiday spirit and support everyone from Movement, who immediately decided to perform a dance. And it worked out—I felt like I was in a Christmas film, where there’s an orchestra playing and everyone is dancing and singing festive songs,’ says Darina Ryabova, 3^rd-year student of the Bachelor’s in Information Science and Computation Technology. ‘I am glad that the Cultural Centre was the venue for such a cosy event.’

Anna Martynenko

‘What’s important to people isn’t what they’re listening to at a disco, how many kilos of paper fall on them at a paper show, or which master classes they’ll find in the atrium. What matters to them is atmosphere. And they definitely got that,’ says Anna Martynenko, Manager of the HSE University Centre for Leadership and Volunteer Work.

Polina Kolesnichenko

‘This year was a breakthrough one for extracurricular life: there were new names, organisations, and major events. It is great that HSE University has such a varied life outside the doors of its lecture halls,’ says Polina Kolesnichenko, PR Director of EXTRA. ‘It makes us real, unites us, and helps us develop.’