Costumed characters boost Halloween spirits in Lynn Hall

Third-year Purdue DVM students Amanda Mills, Jesus Gonzalez and Twinkle Kaur pose in Despicable Me costumes in front of a red curtain. The costumes depict Gru, a purple Minion and Vector. The trio won Best Group in Purdue Veterinary Medicine's 2026 student Halloween costume contest. — Third-year veterinary students (left-right) Amanda Mills, Jesus Gonzalez and Twinkle Kaur won in the Best Group category of the student costume contest for their Despicable Me portrayal.

Third-year Purdue DVM student Vyonie Manley poses in a bright orange Lorax costume with a yellow mustache, one arm extended and the other holding a red Truffula tree prop. Manley won Best Individual in Purdue Veterinary Medicine's Halloween costume contest. — The Lorax, as portrayed by third-year veterinary student Vyonie Manley, won the Best Individual award.

As Halloween brought October 2026 to a festive close, a lot of interesting characters showed up in and around Lynn Hall, the Reed Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL) and the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital. A variety of interesting sights caught people’s attention as Halloween weekend approached. Minions, witches, Super Mario Bros., assorted Crayons, Dorothy and her companions from The Wizard of Oz, a trio of sumo wrestlers, and even Joy, from Inside Out, were among the characters who graced the college with their presence. Especially intriguing was the fact that they bore striking resemblances to Purdue Veterinary Medicine faculty, staff and students.

Characters who looked a lot like students appeared on Wednesday, October 28, which just happened to correspond to Halloween Costume Day, as coordinated by the Student Success Center. The students in costume were able to enter the costume contest to compete in the “Best Group” and “Best Individual” categories. The winners are:

Best Group: “Despicable Me” – as played by Twinkle Kaur, Amanda Mills, and Jesus Gonzalez, all of the DVM Class of 2028.
Best Individual: “Lorax” – as played by Vyonie Manley, of the DVM Class of 2028.

The students also were invited to do some trick-or-treating at staff offices to get the most out of their participation in Costume Day.

Then, on Friday, the day before Halloween, another round of interesting characters appeared, mostly concentrated in the Veterinary Hospital and the Reed ADDL. In fact, the greatest commotion occurred at the ADDL, where the reception area doubled as the gathering spot for quite the cast of famous figures, including Dorothy and the Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz; Alvin and the Chipmunks; and some T. Rex dinosaurs on the loose.

Purdue Veterinary Medicine employees pose outdoors in Halloween costumes outside a brick building. The large group includes characters from The Wizard of Oz, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and several colorful costumes, with three inflatable T. Rex dinosaurs standing behind them. The gathering took place at the Reed Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory on October 30. — The cast of characters at the Reed ADDL gathered for a group photo outside with the beloved T. Rex dinosaurs on Friday, October 30.

Sections of the Veterinary Hospital also demonstrated their creativity with various themes, including Super Mario Bros., as played by the Diagnostic Imaging team members. Another favorite Halloween tradition is the Diagnostic Imaging Halloween Dessert Baking Contest. Among this year’s winners was Scary Cherry Pie created by Dr. Lorraine Corriveau, primary care clinician in Small Animal Primary Care, which took top honors for Best Design in the Pies, Cobblers and Crisps category.

Members of the Purdue Veterinary Hospital Diagnostic Imaging team pose in Super Mario Bros.-themed Halloween costumes in an imaging room. The group includes characters resembling Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Waluigi, bananas and other game characters, gathered around a large medical imaging machine. — The Diagnostic Imaging team in the Brunner Small Animal Hospital took on the appearance of Super Mario Bros.

Other winners in the Best Design Category included:

Pumpkin Patch Bread by Dr. Danielle McNabney, resident in Small Animal Surgery
Kitty Litter Box Cake by Sierra Armbruster, veterinary technologist in Diagnostic Imaging
Frankenstein’s Workshop by Dr. Stephanie Thomovsky, clinical professor of veterinary neurology
Toffee by Dr. Nikolaos Dervisis, associate professor of oncology

Overhead photograph of Dr. Lorraine Corriveau's Scary Cherry Pie, decorated with a monster face made of dark eye sockets and a wide grin filled with pointed teeth. The golden-brown pie sits on a black spiderweb-patterned tablecloth. It won a Best Design award in Purdue Veterinary Medicine's Halloween Dessert Baking Contest. — Dr. Lorraine Corriveau’s Scary Cherry Pie was among the winning entries in the Halloween Dessert Bake Off, organized by the Diagnostic Imaging Service.

In the Best Taste category, Banoffee Pie by Dr. Jack Jarvis, visiting assistant professor of diagnostic imaging, took top honors. Other winners included:

Pumpkin Jack-o-lantern Cake by Christy DeYoung, veterinary technologist in Diagnostic Imaging
Halloween Cinnamon Rolls by Emma Wisler, veterinary technologist in Anesthesia
Truffle Candies by Shanna Rayburn, veterinary technologist in Behavior

Between costumes, contests and fun Halloween themes, the various activities showcased the spirit of Purdue Veterinary Medicine students, staff and faculty!

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu

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