On Friday, Jan. 17 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., freshmen and sophomores gathered in the Dining Hall for one last dance with freshman Lucia Gomez.
Lucia left her hometown of Madrid, Spain to spend the first semester of her freshman year at Kingswood Oxford. A fluent English speaker and lover of American culture and food, Lucia thoroughly enjoyed her time at KO. “There are no words to describe this amazing experience because it was just incredible,” Lucia said. “I have met amazing people. I would repeat it every single year.”
Organized by freshman and sophomore Student Government representatives, the dance was advertised as “Come Fly with Lu Rosalia” and students were told to wear pink, red, or white. Form Three president Jacob Joseph said making the dance in honor of Lucia was an obvious choice. “She’s made such a powerful impact on our grade, so we almost felt obligated to do something for her because of how much she has done for us,” Jacob said.
The dance was themed after Lucia’s favorite song “Con Altura” by ROSALIA. The music video takes place on a plane and features pink, red, and white flowers. The cafeteria was decorated with rainbow lights and a matching flower photo backdrop for photos with Lucia. “The decorations matched perfectly with Lucia’s bright personality,” freshman Anabelle Jacobs said. The SGA representatives also put out snacks as a fun component of the dance.
Freshmen and sophomores danced the night away to a great DJ and also viewed a homemade slideshow of pictures of Lucia’s time at KO. “The slideshow was so cute but also bittersweet because it made me remember all the fun memories I have made with Lucia,” senior Anusha Memon said. “We are all going to miss her so much; KO will not be the same without her.”
Sophomores Katharine Doar and Emma Levinbook echoed Anusha’s feeling. “Right away when Lu came to KO, she was the sweetest person ever,” Katharine said. “So many people love her, and it’s amazing there is an entire dance just for her.” Emma agreed that Lucia has left her mark on KO. “We have all enjoyed getting to know Lu, and she has made KO such a brighter community,” she said.
Although Lucia is sad to depart KO and the US, she is excited to return home. “I have missed my parents and siblings of course, and my friends,” Lucia said. “Also I am much more independent in Spain than here because you depend on someone to drive you everywhere.”
While for some the dance ended in tears, Lucia described this event as her “last perfect memory of KO.” ¡Adiós por ahora Lucía!
