Every Easter after church, dance concentration junior Bailey Zettler and her siblings line up at the back door of their home. The youngest gets to start egg hunting first, and each sibling adds on afterward with five seconds in between. Some eggs contain candy, others contain coins, but the “golden egg” has $5 inside.

“If you find the golden egg, you are the winner of Easter that year,” Zettler said. 

Zettler looks forward to Easter every spring. She said she enjoys participating in youthful Easter activities because it brings out her inner child — and she’s not the only one who feels this way. 

Although Easter egg hunting is commonly associated with younger children, the adrenaline rush experienced by running around attempting to find hidden treasure is a feeling some college students say they haven’t outgrown. 

Environmental science freshman Huruy Abraham still finds joy hunting for eggs on Easter Sunday.

“If you put an Easter egg hunt in front of me, I will do it,” Abraham said. 

Abraham egg hunts at his church in his hometown of the Woodlands, Texas. 

“The Easter egg hunt is held in a big open field, and eggs are placed all around the grass,” Abraham said. “We run around to try to find the eggs with the best prizes, and usually the small eggs have coins inside, while the bigger ones have candy.  ”  

 As an 18-year-old, Abraham said he still feels a sense of reward when finding the eggs.

“It makes me feel like I’m still a kid,” Abraham said.

Abraham said that he doesn’t see himself stopping Easter egg hunting anytime soon. 

“No, I don’t think I’ll ever stop because I look forward to it every year,” Abraham said. “As I grow up, it may not be something I participate in heavily, but it will still be a fun atmosphere.”

It’s more than just a game that results in prizes to him. Egg hunting has allowed Abraham to participate in a fun activity no matter the award.

“As I grew up, getting money was more rewarding than toys,” Abraham said. “Even though the experience is still the same, my perspective has changed in the fact that I don’t care about what’s inside of the egg.”

It’s also common for college students to keep participating in Easter egg hunts with their younger siblings. Nutrition freshman Regan Larkin egg hunts with her little sister, who is entertained by searching for the precious eggs every year. 

“We always do it at our house and use the front and back yard, while my mom puts eggs over the entire perimeter of our house,” Larkin said. “Sometimes they are at the edge of our pool, flowerbeds, and clever places like that, so she gets very nifty and smart on where to put them to make it as fun as possible for us.” 

Larkin said she is a part of a game-oriented family and gets competitive when searching for the hidden eggs. 

“I feel like a detective looking for clues, and I’m in the zone,” Larkin said.

Larkin said she loves sharing the egg hunting experience with her sister. It reminds her of the thrill she used to receive when exploring her yard for eggs. 

“I imagine myself at her age, and it makes me excited for her that she’s at the age where she loves and enjoys it as much as she does,” Larkin said.

Larkin said she experiences a lighthearted sense when egg hunting and believes the tradition allows her to feel a childlike wonder.

“It keeps the spirit alive and makes me feel connected to my past,” Larkin said.