Katelyn E. Clooney
Staff Writer
“Selfie” was recently named word of the year by the Oxford English Dictionary.
Selfies, a picture one takes of oneself, are everywhere – on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and, at least for a few moments, Snapchat. As college students, we constantly scroll down on our smartphones. In this era of front-facing cameras, we are endlessly subjected to selfies.
Let’s face it: you’ve probably uploaded a few selfies lately. And yes, your favorite selfie may have garnered quite an impressive amount of likes, favorites and retweets, but has it ever earned you an iPad?
One lucky Springfield College student can make that claim. She recently won an iPad Mini, courtesy of McDonald’s, just for snapping a few timely selfies on the Springfield College campus.
Representatives of McDonald’s visited the campus on Tuesday, Nov. 19, and brought coupons and clues with them, as well as some great prizes, as they promoted their new Premium McWraps.
Charlene Durham, of Cronin and Company, an advertising agency that works with McDonald’s, was one of many representatives stationed across the campus that morning. Durham believed the event would be “something fun for the students.”
At 11 a.m., Durham and several others handed out sheets containing three clues, each clue referring to different building on campus. Participants, upon solving the clue, battled the brisk New England weather, ran to the described location and took a selfie with the McDonald’s sign at each spot.
The first clue: Dive right into this game with Clue #1! It’ll have you climbing with excitement!
The second: Don’t get “locked” out of finding clue #2 – head to this recently renovated classroom building!
The final clue: Campus Arts + an Apple = our #3 clue location!
The answers, of course, are the Wellness Center, Locklin Hall and Fuller Arts Center.
You may have done pretty well just now, but Jasmine Jiles was able to not only solve the clues, but run to all three locations in less than 10 minutes, stopping at each to snap a selfie. Jiles then ran to the McDonald’s van parked outside of the Richard B. Flynn Campus Union. Her selfies became modern-day versions of Willy Wonka’s Golden Tickets, as she showed them to the McDonald’s representatives and was awarded a new iPad Mini.
Five other bags of prizes, which included headphones, speakers and other great items, were handed out to SC students after they proudly showed off their selfies.
“I’m so excited,” exclaimed Sabrina Chandler, as she collected her “swag bag.”
McDonald’s believed that Springfield College would be the perfect place for their first, “Under Wraps” Scavenger Hunt after learning about several student-run media outlets, according to Carl Stiles, director of Student Activities and the Campus Union. The event was held in partnership with the Office of Student Activities and the Campus Activities Board.
McDonald’s reached out to Stiles, who said his office is always looking to “try something different, something new.”
If you missed the “Under Wraps” Scavenger Hunt, additional pictures can be seen by following @McD_CTWMA on Twitter. According to McDonald’s, they will also use that handle to promote several other giveaways in the area.
Katelyn Clooney can be reached at kclooney@springfieldcollege.edu