Sophia Noya | Staff Writer
The FIU Geek Culture Club invited panthers to come out of the shade and create their own shadow puppets at their latest meeting this past Friday.
Using craft materials provided by the club, attendees made puppets inspired by a variety of pop culture, including anime, cartoons and video games.
The art guild, a subcommittee of the Geek Culture Club whose main focus is to manage activities and events related to art and creativity, organized the event.
“I got the idea because I made a projector box last semester, and I wanted to use it again,” said Bryan Diaz, a computer science major and art guild manager.
“It’s easy to make a model of a character,” he continued, “People can come in and make models of characters they like, and project it onto the wall”.
Attendees create their shadow puppets | Sophia Noya, PantherNow
Beyond art guild meetings, other club events include video game tournaments and what the club calls “takeovers”: meetings that are themed to specific media, such as Miiport or Cyberpunk 2077.
“Our biggest event is Koneko,” said Denisse “Lin” Mendoza, a biology major and club president.
“It’s a mini-convention. We get vendors, food and activities,” Mendoza explained, “We decided to go with a Sonic the Hedgehog theme this year.”
Geek Culture Club board and interns pose with their shadow puppets | Sophia Noya, PantherNow
Mendoza emphasized the importance of Geek Culture Club providing a safe and encouraging community for all pop culture enthusiasts.
“There’s a lot of people who like these kinds of things, but aren’t always ready to open up about their interests,” she said, “This club helps you communicate with and make friends with people who have the same interest as you.”
Jeff Juan, electrical engineering major and Geek Culture Club intern, displays his shadow puppet | Sophia Noya, PantherNow
The Geek Culture Club holds biweekly meetings at different times and different locations throughout campus. All students are welcome to join.
Upcoming meeting hours and sites are posted on their Instagram. A link to the club’s Discord server is provided on their Panther Connect page.
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