By: Matt Bertram
This fall, Carolina Housing launched its first-ever Golden Ticket Scavenger Hunt, and the response exceeded all expectations. Students across campus enthusiastically followed clues posted on social media, embarking on an exciting adventure that encouraged teamwork, creativity, and persistence. Among the many participants, three roommates—Nikki, Laura, and Drew—were the lucky ones to find the Golden Ticket, allowing them to skip the line and be among the very first to select their on-campus housing for the upcoming academic year. Here’s their story.
A Campus-Wide Adventure
For Nikki, Laura, and Drew, the hunt started as a fun challenge shared among friends. Clues were posted on Instagram, and Laura immediately took the lead, relaying updates to their group chat. “I remember seeing the first clue and thinking, ‘We have to find this golden ticket,’” Laura said. From there, the group began brainstorming possible locations, navigating the cryptic clues together.
The journey wasn’t without its hurdles. As Nikki humorously admitted, “My whole help was giving ideas that ended up being wrong, but I provided emotional support!” Despite missteps and dead ends, the group kept their spirits high.
“We Were All Looking at the Ground”
One pivotal moment came when Laura spotted a third clue after her chemistry class. Convinced the ticket was hidden near Phillips Hall, she spent over an hour searching in vain. “I saw so many people looking—everyone was staring at the ground and behind bushes. It was intense!” Laura recounted.
Eventually, the group shifted their focus to South Campus and the SASB North building, inspired by the clue’s reference to dreams and knowledge. Drew, just out of her Portuguese class, decided to give the area a shot.
“Rip It Off the Wall!”
When Drew arrived at SASB North, she wasn’t immediately sure she’d found the right spot. “There was a piece of paper on the wall that looked out of place,” Drew said. On the phone with Laura, she hesitated to pull it off. But Laura’s determined encouragement—“Rip it off the dang wall!”—pushed her forward.
Sure enough, beneath the paper was the Golden Ticket. Drew described the moment: “I started jumping up and down. Around the corner, there was another group who had just missed it. It was so surreal.”
Drew raced back to their apartment, hiding the ticket under her food box for safekeeping. “I was literally sweating,” she laughed. “When I got back, we were all jumping and screaming—it was such an unforgettable moment.”
A Rewarding Experience for All
The scavenger hunt was a first for Carolina Housing, and seeing students come together for a shared goal was incredibly rewarding. The clues sparked creativity and created lasting memories for roommates like Nikki, Laura, and Drew. As Nikki said, “Even if you don’t win, it’s such a fun experience. You get quality time with your friends, and that’s a win in itself.”
For Laura, the Golden Ticket was more than just a prize. “This was something we could actually control. We did the research, we worked together, and it paid off.”
Carolina Housing looks forward to hosting more interactive events like this in the future, encouraging students to create new memories and make the most of their on-campus experience.