A Spooktacular Pumpkin Carving Contest
October 25, 2022
Pictured from left: Occupational therapy students Avery Gaeta, Elias Tannous, Paolo Vernillo, and Isabella Koutsantanou took first place for their creation Smashing Pumpkins at the seventh annual pumpkin carving contest.
On October 18, the Long Island campus was a ghoulish sight. Students, faculty, and staff in the College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) and the School of Health Professions participated in their seventh annual pumpkin carving contest.
More than 40 teams with 181 people created an impressive array of spooky designs, including a barbecue with “body parts” on the grill, a monster’s graveyard, a Day of the Dead bride and groom, and more.
In addition to faculty, students, and staff, Assistant Provost Sheri Kelleher and representatives from Apple, W.B. Mason, and Henry Schein judged the competition. The winning team was occupational therapy students Avery Gaeta, Isabella Koutsantanou, Elias Tannous, and Paolo Vernillo for their creation Smashing Pumpkins.
School of Health Professions students Jacinda Ayres, Hannah Bocalan, Janvier Hoist-Forrester, Madison O’Hare, and Robbi Reed came in second place for Nuggets 4 Life.
Adjunct Instructor John Cleery, Senior Specialist Laura Friedland-Stulbaum, Assistant Professor Jennifer Lincks, DNP, Assistant Professor Linda Schneider, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor Jessica Varghese, Ph.D., from the Department of Nursing took third place for their design The Pumkinettes.
The contest is hosted by NYITCOM’s Academic Technologies and organized by Dost Khalique, director of academic technology, and Renee Smith, associate director of finance at NYITCOM. It is part of NYITCOM’s Fall Festival, which gives the New York Tech community a chance to take a break from work and studies to enjoy an afternoon of lawn games and snacks.
Watch the video.
Pictured from left: Second-place winners Robbi Reed, Hannah Bocalan, Madison O’Hare, Janvier Hoist-Forrester, and Jacinda Ayres created Nuggets 4 Life.
Pictured from left: Laura Friedland-Stulbaum, Jessica Varghese, Jennifer Lincks, and Linda Schneider took third place for The Pumpkinettes. (John Cleery not pictured)
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