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Thursday, March 28, 2024
<p>Sherry Kao, a UF biology sophomore, participated in Mini Treasure Hunts around the UF campus, a Facebook page that advertises small-scale scavenger hunts. Kao, 19, won the second hunt Feb. 20.</p>

Sherry Kao, a UF biology sophomore, participated in Mini Treasure Hunts around the UF campus, a Facebook page that advertises small-scale scavenger hunts. Kao, 19, won the second hunt Feb. 20.

Sherry Kao counted the steps from Turlington Plaza to the second floor of the University Auditorium on Feb. 20.

The UF biology sophomore followed a clue posted on a Facebook page.

The 19-year-old found what she was looking for taped underneath a bench — a slip of paper labeled “Hunt #2 WINNER.” She won three Lollicup gift cards, two Krishna House cards and a Sababa gift card.

Kao’s search was part of Mini Treasure Hunts around UF Campus, a Facebook page that advertises small-scale scavenger hunts, said Peter Theryo, one of the page organizers.

The idea for the mini treasure hunts started with two UF students and Theryo, who’s a 23-year-old Gainesville resident. The three organizers enjoyed games and puzzles, and wanted to make a fun way for UF students to de-stress, Theryo said.

The page went live in August, and the first hunt was announced in a post Jan. 15. About six hunts have been conducted so far. Each one is about a week or two apart. A clue is posted on the page leading students directly to the winning paper. Student must take a selfie with it to officially win, Theryo said.

“People don’t want an insane, ‘National Treasure’ style hunt,” he said, “I don’t think that they’d want to do a 22-step process that ends with stealing the Declaration of Independence.”

The type of clue changes from hunt to hunt, Theryo said. Past locations include behind the stairwell railing in McCarty A, inside a book in Smathers Library and by the Reitz Union Pond’s Veterans Memorial plaque.

The group is not sponsored, Theryo said. All prizes, usually gift cards or coupons to local restaurants, have been private donations from the organizers or their friends. After a win has been approved, the page will message the winner and coordinate how to receive the prize.

Kao said she solved an audio hunt, which was an audio recording shared on the Facebook page that started with the ringing of Century Tower and passed other recognizable sounds.

Kao said she thinks the Mini Treasure Hunts are a fun, interactive way to get a small community together.

“It’s rewarding when you are able to figure out the clues because you’re like, ‘Oh, I actually know this campus pretty well and know places where others might not know about,’” she said.

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Sherry Kao, a UF biology sophomore, participated in Mini Treasure Hunts around the UF campus, a Facebook page that advertises small-scale scavenger hunts. Kao, 19, won the second hunt Feb. 20.

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