Marshall University’s Campus Activities Board presented the film “Hidden Figures” Tuesday as part of Marshall at the Movies at Pullman Square Marquee Theater.

Students were able to get a free ticket to the event in the Students Activities office to attend the 9 p.m. showing.

The movie told the story of African American women working at NASA who helped send the first man from the United States to orbit space.

Many students gathered at Pullman Tuesday night, including two sisters who said they were excited to see the movie because they felt empowered by the previews alone.

Christina Stradwick, a math major at Marshall, said she felt connected to the film because of her passion for numbers.

“As a math major who has gone through grade school and higher education encountering relatively few women or other African Americans, a movie about African American women in the field of mathematics was something relatable for me,” Christina Stradwick said. “That kind of representation really motivated me to strive my highest potential instead of settling for the ceiling that other people set before me.”

According to CAB’s Twitter poll that was still ongoing Wednesday, 83 percent of the people who voted gave positive feedback regarding if CAB should continue to hold events similar to Marshall at the Movies.

“Sometimes you need to take a mental health break from the stress of schoolwork,” Christina Stradwick said. “Events like these help students decompress from their busy schedules.”

Different moments in the movie resounded with students in the theater as they laughed and cried throughout the film.

Clarice Stradwick, psychology major at Marshall, said you could really feel the emotions pour out from the actors.

“One of my favorite parts of the movie is when Katherine Johnson, played by Taraji P. Henson, has to explain to Mr. Harrison, played by Kevin Costner, why she is never at the desk when he needs her,” Clarice Stradwick said. “In those few minutes of the film, you can just feel the frustration and exhaustion coming from Katherine. It is such a powerful moment in the film.”

The next screening for students will be “The Lego Batman Movie” on Feb. 24.

Christian Davis can be contacted at [email protected].