As away weekends approach at the end of every semester, fraternity guys worry about where to go and who to invite.
On the other hand, their dates worry mainly about one thing: cooler painting.
It has become tradition for girls to paint a cooler for their dates when they get invited on a three-day beach or mountain trip, depending on the semester. The cooler incorporates the personality of the guy and his fraternity.
The task is time consuming and requires a knack for crafting. That is where sophomore Letters and Sciences major Reena Patel comes in.
Patel has always loved to paint and craft. As a member of the sorority Sigma Kappa, she is privy to the struggles of a sorority girl.
She started painting coolers as a small business after her first away weekend last year.
“I noticed people selling them on Etsy and figured why not try selling them myself,” Patel said.
Depending on the size of the cooler, Patel charges from $100 to $200 per an art piece. The coolers take about four to six hours to paint, which is fast compared to the days girls usually have to spend on the away weekend staple.
Girls send her pictures of what they want on their coolers and supply the cooler. Patel pays for the paints, sealers, and primers.
Usually Patel asks for pre-sanded coolers so that the girls can get them as soon as possible but she will sand them if necessary.
“I hand paint so the sanding doesn’t have to perfect but it does take a bit of time,” she said. “I can get it done in about half an hour.”
Patel says that the reason that she is so efficient at painting the coolers is because she has had a lot of practice with crafting. She excels at fonts and can freehand all words plus beach and mountain scenes as well.
“Most coolers require the same kind of art so it’s easy to do if you’ve done it a lot,” Patel explained.
Patel paints the coolers either in her dorm room or her sorority house.
“I wouldn’t say I’m the most amazing at making coolers but I can get them done fast and make them look really good,” she said.
Riannon Gibson, a sophomore government and politics major, asked Patel to help her out with her cooler last semester.
“My experience with Reena was awesome. She was enthusiastic and great at incorporating ideas of what I wanted on a cooler,” Gibson said. “My date was so impressed. I would recommend her to anyone.”
Patel gains her clientele through word of mouth within Greek life. Usually she will connect with her clients through a Facebook message.
“People who just aren’t crafty and don’t have a lot of time usually ask for my help,” Patel said.
“She helped me with a couple of sides for my cooler and she is always efficient and made sure that it was well done and fixed up,” Tori Conway, a sophomore international business major, said.
Not only does Patel paint coolers, she also offers her services as an artist to sorority women who are painting their traditional paddles for big-little reveal.
Last week, the Lambda Chi fraternity chapter at UMD hosted an event called Watermelon Bust and one of the competitions was to paint a watermelon.
“There were no rules,” Patel said. “So I painted Biggie Smalls and tried to incorporate their fraternity in it.”
Patel’s watermelon won the competition.
“I craft because I love art and I really like making things,” Patel said.
When away weekend is not looming over Greek life’s heads, Patel runs her own weekly radio show at WMUC in College Park. She also enjoys playing soccer, meditation club, and participates in Best Buddies.