Juggling college and kids during Halloween

By Tabitha Barr / Editor in Chief

Halloween brings out decorations and lots of candy to those who celebrate. For students and staff at Hutchinson Community College, it can bring a little bit more, especially when their children are added into the mix.

Being a parent and a student can bring some complications, but for Shamonya Young, she’s become used to the chaos.

“I’ve learned how to balance my time and energy. It can be challenging at times, but it’s very rewarding,” Young said.

Her two kids, Jasirie, 12, and Jai’Ke, 7, are great at keeping her youthful.

Trick-or-treating benefits Young in many ways.

“I love spending time with my kids the way my parents did with me and my siblings,” Young said.

It’s a good way to spend time with her kids, and to see them excited about Halloween and everything it entails. Young also gets into the spirit saying, “I get to relive my childhood by dressing up and I get free candy,” she said.

Going trick-or-treating is a tradition for their family and they don’t miss an opportunity to dress up. Children are inspired by movies, fantasy characters, and anything that they deem as astonishing.

Last year, her daughter was a unicorn. And her son was Black Panther, one of the most influential films for the black community. 

Her son showed Wakanda proud.

Young and her kids are ecstatic that Halloween has come around again so they can enjoy family time while also stuffing their faces with candy.

For Media Production instructor Bobby Obermite, Halloween brings smiles from his family and, most importantly, his 2-year-old daughter Emery. Obermite reminisces about the experiences he’s had at HutchCC and those with his daughter.

“I had Emery three weeks after starting my position here,” Obermite said. “So I relate my time here with being a new dad. As she grows so does my enthusiasm with teaching.”

With his field of work, film and photography are the ways into keeping memories in the present. Halloween can bring out the horror genre, and even though it’s not Obermite’s personally favorite to make, he does so an increase in students using their creative side.

“We are always looking for a good story and holidays tend to create opportunities for us,” Obermite said.

With Halloween being less than two weeks away, Emery and her parents have already picked out what she’s dressing up as. With one of her favorite shows being “Paw Patrol”, she’s happy to be trick-or-treating as one of the characters.

Emery is excited about Halloween and she’s letting her parents know by constantly yelling, “Daddy Bobby Baby Shark do do popsicle!”

Obermite says she calls him Bobby when she really wants his attention.

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