A collage of various images shows events at K-State in April 2026. One is a student presenting at a fashion studies week. Second ia group of college faculty posing in a lecture hall. Third is a rack of plush squirrels. Fourth is a graduate student presenting a research poster. Fourth is a man in a purple T-shirt running outdoors in a race. Sixth is a a group of international students marching across campus holding various countries' flags. Seventh is a pair of female runners and a dog. Eighth is a student walking back from bowling at a bowling alley. Ninth is Willie the Wildcat mascot flashing a Wildcat hand symbol.

April 2026 at K-State

Take a look through some of the memories K-State students, faculty and staff made in April.

Kristina Bonner

By Kristina Bonner

K-State News and Communications Services

Thursday, April 30, 2026

April is always one of the busiest, but most exciting, months at K-State.

Take a look at some of the more memorable moments from a month packed with learning, research, creativity and fun.

A person wearing tan baseball cap, gray t-shirt with name tag, and dark jeans stands on bowling lane looking upward, watching their ball.
Grace Landsdell, graduate student in horticulture and natural resources, watches her ball roll down the lane during K-State's Pins and Pizza bowling event, part of Graduate Student Appreciation Week. Photo by Kristina Bonner/K-State News and Communications Services.
Group of students and staff march down campus sidewalk carrying international flags and white banner reading "International Student Week FLAG PARADE" with colorful flag graphics. Visible flags include United States, India, Nepal, and others held on wooden poles.
Students and staff carry flags representing their home countries during K-State's International Student Week Flag Parade. Participants march through campus displaying national flags from around the globe, celebrating the university's vibrant community of international students. Photo by Kristina Bonner/K-State News and Communications Services.
A crowded ballroom at Kansas State University filled with graduate students seated at round tables with purple and white tablecloths. A speaker stands at a podium on a stage with arched wooden doorways, while large screens display a presentation about becoming a distinguished faculty member. The room features elegant lighting fixtures and professional event staging.
Graduate students gather at Kansas State University's Graduate Student Appreciation Recognition Celebration. The annual event honors the contributions and achievements of K-State's graduate student community. Photo by Julia Hall/K-State News and Communications Services.

Three smiling students pose in front of a white "K-State Day of Giving" step-and-repeat banner, with two making the Powercat hand gesture and one holding a large foam Powercat hand prop. Purple balloon decorations are visible on the left side.
Students flash the Wildcat hand sign in front of the K-State Day of Giving photo backdrop. Photo by Kristina Bonner/K-State News and Communications Services.
A woman in lavender shirt speaks into handheld microphone while seated at broadcast table with man in purple "Wildcats Support" shirt beside her. A Purple "K-State Day of Giving" banner stands to the right, with monitor and gray upholstered chairs visible in background.
First Lady Sally Linton speaks during a Day of Giving broadcast event as donors and supporters tune in to the fundraising campaign. Photo by Kristina Bonner/K-State News and Communications Services.
Tiered display stand holding multiple plush squirrel keychains wearing purple ribbons and white bibs with "Cats" logo, positioned in front of a purple "Name a K-State Squirrel" sign with purple and white balloons visible in the background.
Plush squirrel keychains served as giveaways to donors and participants who supported K-State's "Name a K-State Squirrel" fundraising campaign during Day of Giving. Photo by Kristina Bonner/K-State News and Communications Services.

Four students gather in a huddle. They are smiling with laptops, food and DataFest swag in hand.
Teams work around the clock at Justin Hall discussing different strategies for tackling their large, rich dataset. Photo by Crystal Ly/Department of Entomology.
A K-State faculty member stands at a podium with students in the audience. 
Trevor Hefley, professor of statistics and a co-director for the Institute for Digital Agriculture and Advanced Analytics, welcomes teams from Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska. Photo by Crystal Ly/Department of Entomology.
Rows of students deep in thought, looking at their laptop screens, in a college lecture hall.
During the opening ceremony, DataFest teams get their first look at the secret dataset. Photo by Crystal Ly/Department of Entomology.

Declan Taylor, senior in fashion studies and marketing, addresses the audience during the K-State's Fashion Studies Showcase of Excellence, sharing the inspiration and creative process behind his collection. Photo by Kristina Bonner/K-State News and Communications Services.
Fashion studies student Declan Taylor stands center stage holding microphone, speaking to seated audience. Taylor wears silver textured short-sleeve blazer over light blue collared shirt and black distressed jeans. Large projected backdrop displays blue sky with white and golden clouds.
A model in beige wrap blouse and gray cropped pants walks down center runway toward camera wearing strappy heels. Audience seated on white folding chairs lines both sides of runway.
A model walks the runway in a student-designed ensemble during K-State's Fashion Studies Showcase of Excellence. The annual event transforms the venue into an immersive fashion experience, featuring panoramic desert landscape projections that complement the neutral-toned collection.
Audience members seated on white folding chairs watch fashion show presentation. Large projected backdrop displays blue sky with white clouds creating immersive atmosphere. Attendees wear mix of formal and casual attire including black dresses, sequined garments, turquoise top, yellow dress, and navy clothing.
Audience members watch intently as models present student designs during the K-State's Fashion Studies Showcase of Excellence. Attendees captured the moment on phones while seated against a backdrop of projected sky imagery that created an immersive atmosphere for the runway presentation. Photo by Kristina Bonner/K-State News and Communications Services.

Two smiling participants wearing matching purple "Dog-N-Jog" t-shirts pose with their brown and white spaniel wearing a purple harness on green lawn. Race bib number 1824 visible on runner's leg.
Two participants pose with their dog during K-State's Dog-N-Jog, an annual 5K run and walk that welcomes four-legged companions to campus. Photo by Kristina Bonner/K-State News and Communications Services.
Two runners jog on wet pavement with their dogs during rainy conditions. Runner on left wears purple "Go Cats" shirt and blue shorts with race bib 1861, accompanied by small brown dog. Runner on right wears black jacket, accompanied by large tan dog with orange bandana. Campus buildings and bare trees visible in misty background.
Runners and their canine companions navigate wet pavement during K-State's Dog-N-Jog 5K. Photo by Kristina Bonner/K-State News and Communications Services.
Smiling runner wearing white long-sleeve shirt, leopard print shorts and race bib 1842 waves at camera while jogging on campus sidewalk with golden retriever.
A participant waves to the camera while jogging alongside her golden retriever during K-State's Dog-N-Jog 5K. Photo by Kristina Bonner/K-State News and Communications Services.

Joel is on left wearing purple K-State polo shirt, khaki pants and glasses shakes hands with University President Richard H. Linton on right.
Joel Matthews, left, shakes hands with President Richard Linton during Lunch with the Lintons at K-State Salina.

Three students gather around white NSF-certified agricultural equipment with metal frame and mechanical components in foreground. Student on left wears black shirt with purple stole and gestures toward machinery while explaining. Student in center wears gray hoodie and glasses, listening attentively. Student on right wears purple K-State hoodie and gray turban. Display board behind them shows "Agricultural Technology Management" signage with photos of farm equipment, degree program information, and "Skills of ATM" section.
Current K-State students demonstrate agricultural technology equipment to prospective students during Open House. Photo by Kristina Bonner/K-State News and Communications Services.
Student in purple K-State sweatshirt and jeans stands at left observing engineering demonstration while instructor in black polo shirt and jeans gestures at right. Black metal bridge truss testing apparatus sits on table between them with suspended weight mechanism. Large projection screen displays data interface showing "Max Load (lbs) 0.01" with graphs for Load, Displacement and Deflection measurements.
A prospective student watches intently as K-State engineering faculty and a current student demonstrate structural load testing during Open House. Photo by Kristina Bonner/K-State News and Communications Services.
A college professor leands over a table of fine dirt and yellow mealworms and demonstrates the insects to a young boy and his parents.
Christos Athanassiou, research professor of entomology and leader of K-State's Insect Farming Initiative, gives curious family a hands-on demo of yellow mealworm rearing trays. Photo by Crystal Ly/Department of Entomology.

A master's student in a green blazer presents her research poster in a building courtyard.
Charissa Trout, master’s student in health and human sciences, discusses her research on disabled fathers during the One K-State Research Week. Trout's research explores the realities and challenges faced by fathers with disabilities in parenting roles. Photo by Kristina Bonner/K-State News and Communications Services.
Presenter in patterned jacket and beige pants stands before seated audience delivering oral presentation. Large projection screen on the left displays a purple slide with white text about the research topic.
Mia Reyes, master’s student in communication and agricultural education, delivers an oral presentation on segmenting the entrepreneurial drivers of Kansas agritourism operators during the One K-State Research Week. Reyes' research examines how to effectively develop and support agritourism sustainability, growth and expansion across the state by analyzing entrepreneurial self-efficacy, persistence and communication preferences among different operator segments. Photo by Kristina Bonner/K-State News and Communications Services.
Student in blue cardigan and white shirt with name tag gestures while explaining research posters to attendees in purple shirt at conference. Poster titled "Haiti: Religion and Political development" displays research information about the topic.
Ludivine Aubert, senior in political science, explains her research on Haiti's religion and political development to an attendee during the One K-State Research Week. Aubert’s research examines the relationship between Christianity and Vodou in shaping Haiti's political landscape and explores how religious syncretism influences governance and national identity. Photo by Kristina Bonner/K-State News and Communications Services.

Aerial view of a gymnasium with students sitting at roundtables.
New students gather in the Stivers Gymnasium for orientation at K-State Salina, hearing from an alumnus working in the aviation industry, the aviation department head, faculty members, an aviation medical examiner and many of the campus's staff members.

A drum major directs a line of drummers outdoors on a sunny, spring morning at a college campus.
A drum line from the K-State marching band helps kick of the fifth annual Run for the Roses.
A man in a purple T-shirt and shorts runs in a race on a college's sidewalk.
Travis Habab, executive director of Military and Veterans Affairs for K-State, participates in the K-State Gardens' Run for the Roses.
Willie the Wildcat, a mascot with the head of a cat, flashes a Wildcat hand symbol at the fifth annual Run for the Roses race, hosted by the Kansas State University Gardens.
Willie flashes a Wildcat hand symbol at the fifth annual Run for the Roses race, hosted by the Kansas State University Gardens. Photo by Kristina Bonner/K-State News and Communications Services.

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