Community Pop-Ups

Overview

We launched seasonal grab-and-go pop-ups, letting students drop by the community space whenever it suited them. Suddenly, the room buzzed with energy and felt genuinely welcoming.

One Timeslot Can’t Fit Everyone

Our monthly evening gatherings brought some students together, but many still missed out. Classes, jobs, and packed schedules meant a single time slot left too many on the sidelines.

We hoped students would feel comfortable dropping by headquarters for academic support as well. To truly build community, we had to meet them where their busy lives allowed.

Make it Easy to Drop In

The Ugly Baby: What if events lasted longer? Alongside evening gatherings, we introduced flexible pop-ups that spanned several hours, syncing with seasonal highlights like Halloween, end-of-year self-care, and Valentine’s Day.

We built a repeatable format:

• We extended drop-in hours, making it easy for students to swing by between classes and commitments.

• Each event featured a customizable “goody bag” that students filled with treats like candy, cards, friendship bracelet kits, and stickers, turning every grab-and-go into a small, personalized gift.

• We included a surprise, like a 'golden ticket' item, such as a plush toy hidden in one of the bags.

With every pop-up, our Celebration Collage near the entrance grew, filling with snapshots of students laughing and connecting. The wall soon became a living highlight reel of our community.

A Lived-in Space

Each pop-up drew bigger crowds, with the Valentine’s Day event stealing the show. Flexible hours, thoughtful details, and unexpected surprises drew more students in. The real transformation happened between events: students started dropping by to study, catch up on news, or spot themselves in the growing Celebration Collage. The space blossomed into a go-to hub for both work and play.