Grad Students Have a Roaring Good Time at Dino Dance Masquerade

Masquerades are fun and all, but you know what’s better than a masquerade? A dancing masquerade ball complete with dinosaur masks held at Philadelphia’s number one spot for dinosaurs, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

That’s what about 120 Dragons found out while attending the Dino Dance Masquerade held by Drexel’s Graduate Student Association (GSA) on March 9. There was dancing and dinner with, yes, dinosaurs at the Academy’s very own Dinosaur Hall. The graduate students dressed up for the event and accessorized by making their own dinosaur-inspired masks. 

“The masquerade ball is our winter formal event, usually held in late February or early March, and we have been doing this for more than five years now,” said Jerry John Nutor, a PhD candidate in the College of Nursing and Health Professions and GSA president. “We had it in various restaurants in the city during the past years and the last year's event was held in the Great Court. So this year, we decided to move it to another Drexel space.”

It ended up being a great choice. Nutor said that this was the first time that the event was held at the Academy — and it was also the first time that many of the attendees ever visited the Academy of Natural Sciences. Originally, over 150 students had signed up for the event that was originally going to be held on March 1, but a power outage caused the event to be rescheduled to March 9.  

The masquerade ball is thrown every year to help graduate students wind down the winter term. And, as you can see from the pictures below, that mission was definitely accomplished this year!