GradBird Appreciation Week
April 6-11, 2025
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Sunday, April 6
GradBird Family Bowling Party, Illinois State University Bowling & Billiards Center
Whether it's you need to bust out the bumpers or going for a 300, get ready to kick off GradBird Appreciation Week with a game of bowling! Bring your family to share in the fun during this event at the Bowling & Billiards Center right here on campus. The Graduate School will provide bowling admission, snacks, shoes, and drinks to our GradBirds and their families for this free event, and all graduate students who attend will be entered into a raffle to win some of our newest apparel items!
Please bring your Redbird ID card to rent shoes for this event.
5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
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Monday, April 7
Prize Giveaways, Bone Student Center Concourse
If you've had your eye on any of the hottest Graduate School apparel items, such as water bottles, t-shirts, notepads, stress balls, and more, this is your chance to win big! Stop by our table by the Redbird Spirit Store in the Bone Student Center to spin our prize wheel and earn yourself a new item to show off your GradBird pride.
Please bring your Redbird ID card to be eligible to spin the prize wheel.
1:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Virtual Cooking Lesson, Zoom
No matter where our students are at, we want to see our GradBirds at virtual events this week too! In this virtual cooking lesson, we will teach our GradBirds some new recipes to nourish your body and be easy on your wallet. Learn cooking techniques to make your meals tasty and healthy from our graduate student experts in the Dietetics department in this webinar.
Find the virtual session link here
5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
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Tuesday, April 8
Prize Giveaways, Bone Student Center Concourse
If you've had your eye on any of the hottest Graduate School apparel items, such as water bottles, t-shirts, notepads, stress balls, and more, this is your chance to win big! Stop by our table by the Redbird Spirit Store in the Bone Student Center to spin our prize wheel and earn yourself a new item to show off your GradBird pride.
Please bring your Redbird ID card to be eligible to spin the prize wheel.
1:00 – 3:30 p.m.
GradBird Trivia Night with the Graduate Student Association, Old Main Room Bone Student Center
Join the Graduate School to see who our brightest trivia minds are! Do you think your College has the smartest students? Prove it by gathering a team of up to 6 players and competing in our trivia night challenge. Come by for entertainment, prizes, and, of course, free pizza for attendees.
This event will have limited space so RSVPs are highly recommended! Dinner will be served at 5:30 and trivia will start at 6:00 p.m., players who do not RSVP will be let in on a first-come-first-serve basis.
5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
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Wednesday, April 9
Service Event, School Street Food Pantry
Part of being a GradBird is loving our community, so this is our chance to give back to the great organizations in Normal that help us so much. We will be hosting a service event at School Street Food Pantry, which helps distribute nutritious and cheap food to college and trade students within the Bloomington-Normal area. Come out and bring your friends to help support our local food pantry by helping prepare inventory, stocking shelves, and other activities.
4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
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Thursday, April 10
GradBird Mario Kart Tournament
Start your engines for a thrilling competition to see who is the best Mario Kart racer! Join the excitement and compete for the gold medal, or root on your friends as they put the pedal to the metal. Prizes will be given to the winners, and all attendees will be able to win the raffle for Graduate School apparel items.
This event will have limited space so RSVPs are highly recommended! Competitors who do not RSVP will be let in on a first-come-first-serve basis.
2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Travel Hacks to Vacation on a Budget, Zoom
Traveling the world can be one of the most rewarding experiences, but expenses can add up quickly while on vacation. With this virtual seminar with travel expert Gina Henry, attendees will learn about various ways to save money to get the most out of your international travel experiences by with important tips on travel safety.
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
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Friday, April 11
University Research Symposium, Bone Student Center Ballroom
The main event! Hundreds of graduate students will be presenting their research in the morning and afternoon sessions of the symposium, so come out and learn about some of the great research that our GradBirds have been working on. This event is free and open to the public.
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Learn more about the University Research Symposium
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Week-long Events
Virtual 5k Race
We love having healthy GradBirds, that's why the Graduate School will be hosting a week-long 5k race where everyone is a winner! We understand schedules can be hectic, so you can do this race at any time that works for YOU. Any participant that completes a 5k on a route of their choosing will win a grad school t-shirt as a prize and get a shout-out on our social media.
https://runsignup.com/Race/IL/Normal/GradBirdAppreciationWeekRace
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