The annual fall festival on Eastfield’s campus had several special deliveries from Amazon. Yes, Amazon. They came in the way of students who were awarded Amazon grants for a special Mechatronics and Robotics Apprenticeship (MRA) program.

Sunny, blue skies were the perfect backdrop for the event, which included music, free food from Sonny Bryan’s BBQ, snow cones, ice tea and popcorn. Bounce houses and games were set up on the grassy areas in front of Building G. After eating, the Amazon MRA program students were ready for some challenges to test their skills. 

They participated in a tug-o-war showdown, sack races and a don’t-drop-the-egg race across the lawn. Medals and ribbons were awarded to first, second and third place holders after each game.  

One student named Malik won five, first-place medals during competition games.

“I’m trying to enjoy making as much of a college experience as I can. I am participating in the Amazon MRA program, which is a three-month scholarship program. We are enrolled in six classes: electronics, electrical, pneumatics, PLC, coding and mechanical. We get a certificate for every class that we pass,” Malik said. “Every class we take requires a test, which means we take a new one almost every week. They provide us with two checks, so we don’t have to pay for anything. Honestly, it’s a great opportunity for us to return to our sites as technicians or electricians at Amazon.”

“We had a lot of competition games because we wanted people to win medals, which would motivate them to put more effort into playing the game,” Martel Williams, from Eastfield’s student life office, said. 

“The fall festival had more kid-friendly events, so staff and students could bring their kids to it as well. I would say that this year’s fall fest featured more field games than previous years. This event is held twice a year. We have a spring fest in the spring, and then we have a fall fest, which is happening today.”

Along with the Amazon MRA program students, the event had visitors from the Eastfield volleyball team and the Eastfield’s student government association, and other students joined after attending their classes.