Halloween Magic at NTNU: Costumes, Candy & Culture!
The NTNU campus and the Shida Longquan shopping district transformed into a Halloween wonderland on October 25 with a costume parade and a professional makeup workshop hosted by two Global Fashion EMBA alumni from Coco Fashion Styling. Students from ten countries joined the festivities, designed to foster cross-cultural experiences and build connections among local and international students.
The event was organized by the College of Management and the College of Technology and Engineering, in collaboration with the Office of International Affairs, the Center for Academic Literacy, the Office of Bilingual Education, and the Taipei Shida Longquan Shopping District Promotion Association. The costume parade kicked off at the Administration Building, with Executive Vice Presidents Frank Yung-Hsiang Ying and Kwun-Min Chen joining students in costume for trick-or-treating.
Vice President of International Affairs Yi-De Liu took time from hosting international visitors to distribute candy to students, highlighting the collaboration between administrative and academic departments, along with the support of NTNU alumni like renowned stylists Coco Huang and Claire Lee. This support, he noted, furthers NTNU’s mission to create a globally oriented campus.
After the makeup workshop, students headed to the Longquan shopping district, where local businesses, including Brass Joy Pot, Arnor Creperie, and Chinken Kitchen, organized games and distributed candy and vouchers.
Longquan Neighborhood Representative James Parng and Sheng-Hsiung Hsu, Chairman of the Longquan Shopping District Promotion Association, emphasized that the event strengthened university-community ties and allowed international students to experience the energy of Taiwanese night markets while sharing their own cultures.
Yi-Ching Chen and Yu-Ting Lu, Bilingual Education Assistants from the College of Management and the College of Technology and Engineering, expressed appreciation for the support of Deans Shih-Chuan Tsai and Ching-Min Cheng in developing bilingual programs. This Halloween celebration, part of NTNU’s “Coffee Corner” events, provides students with opportunities for cultural exchange and community engagement.
Students shared their positive experiences. Mika Sugibe from Japan, studying Business Administration, and Sophie Beckord from the Program of Chinese Language and Culture for International Students, enjoyed the festivities and looked forward to future events. Emilie Naulot from France reflected that the celebration brought back childhood Halloween memories and offered a chance to make friends from different backgrounds, while Guren Hu from India shared his excitement at experiencing Halloween for the first time and his enthusiasm for NTNU’s “Coffee Corner” activities.
Alumna and stylist Coco Huang expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to NTNU. “Claire and I see styling as a creative challenge. Helping students bring out their inner monsters and sprites was a joy and showed their openness to trying new things,” she said.
With students from Taiwan, Indonesia, Myanmar, India, Germany, France, Malaysia, Portugal, China, and Japan, NTNU demonstrated its commitment to diversity and cross-cultural exchange. The College of Management and the College of Technology and Engineering plan to continue offering diverse extracurricular learning through the “Coffee Corner” and bilingual learning initiatives, building community connections and fostering an inclusive, international learning environment at NTNU.