The first week of school holds a lot of beginnings ­— the beginning of semester long classes, bizarre icebreakers and an overwhelming amount of knowledge the will be soon forgetten by the weekend.

Friends, peers and faculty that have not been seen all summer are all greeted with joy and the obvious question of the century, “How was your summer?” as if social media would allow anyone to forget all the vacation selfies and Instagram food critiques.

The annual Hillfest celebration gives St. Edward’s University students, faculty and staff the opportunity to bring the summer vibes to an end and bring everyone’s mind back to the campus. 

As the Hilltoppers are known for their academic, athletic and professional success, Hillfest consisted of blues, jazz, scrumptious grilled cheese sandwiches provided by Austin’s friendly neighborhood Burro Cheese, refreshing snow cones from Kona Ice and the longest line of the night, Stony’s Pizza. 

The longest line of the night was at Stony’s Pizza. But for some the single slice of pizza served did not satisfy their hunger

Luckily, students could have gone to Burro Cheese, Urban Cowboy or grabbed a Kale to the Chief juice from Juice Austin food truck to sate themselves.

At this point, the event was well on its way. Next time remember: the early bird gets the pizza.

The veteran complaint being voiced concerned the cost of food and drinks, but much can be said for everything else, which was complimentary.

The rides, one being the Meltdown, made spectators laugh. Players inside fall, drop and jump.

“I loved it!” senior Jennifer Lambatsos said. “The Meltdown was by far the best ride, the jumping was a good workout and I felt like a kid again. It was a great way to pass the time with my girls even if we did get knocked down a lot.” 

The Hillfest 2015 t-shirt was all the rage. Some administrators commented on how students began to line up to get their free T-shirt 30 minutes before the activities commenced. 

Many complimented Nicole Burg from the University Programming Board for her graphic-design talent working on this year’s t-shirt artwork and detail. 

“The t-shirt looked like a 3D cartoon, giving main building new life and majestic traditional elegance,” junior Anna Lopez said. 

She continued to speak of the fun and energetic seriousness of the university. 

“We work hard, so we play harder, hence, #HILLFEST2015,” Lopez said.

Around 9:30 p.m. people migrated towards the Red Doors at the heart of campus. 

At this point, topper pride was in full swing and many were happy.

The Hillfest fireworks lit up the night and students’ faces with cheek-to-cheek smiles. Many students found friends and made new ones. 

Talk of the semester to come reigned over many conversations, along with everything Hillfest represented and gave for their students, faculty and staff. 

Hillfest is a tradition that never ages, bringing St. Edward’s University welcome week to a close with great Austin food and live music.