Howard University, known for its historic traditions and annual Homecoming celebration, welcomes alumni from across the globe. Every school year, graduates travel to Howard’s campus to see familiar faces and feel nostalgic. The deep connections formed during matriculation continue to bring alumni together, forming a strong network outside of campus.
Historically, HBCU Homecoming represents more than a trip back to campus; it is a moment of self-reflection and reconnection.
Steve Mobley, a Washington, D.C. native who graduated with the class of 2005, currently serves as chairman for the class’s 20th reunion committee this year. He makes it his mission to attend homecoming every year, he said.
“The only time I opted out of Homecoming was in 2019, I said, ‘See you all next year,’ then there was no next year,” Mobley said.
Mobley said being back on campus allows graduates to relive some of the best times in their lives.
“I always joke that no matter how old you are, you turn 20 years old when you are back on campus,” he said.
Lakia Young, a Maryland native, serves as the director of strategic operations and on the board of visitors program in the university’s Office of the Secretary. Young said she also tries to attend Homecoming as often as she can. It’s a therapeutic feeling, she said.
“I think that coming home is where you are reenergized… A place [where] you let your guard down. It is a really safe, restful space,” Young said.
She is currently planning homecoming festivities to reunite with the class of 2005 to celebrate their 20th graduation anniversary.
Shantelle Brumfield is a class of 2005 graduate and the Founder Executive of Believe In What You Dream, an educational non-profit organization. Brumfield says the momentous events that occurred shortly after entering college her freshman year, such as 9/11, she relied on her Howard family for support.
“Coming home is just a reminder that we made it through, we’re still together and there is nothing that can break us apart. We’ve been through the toughest of the toughest when it comes to what has happened to us in society,” Brumfield said.
Stacie Gamble is a class of 2000 graduate and London, UK resident who studied mathematics and business. Although she doesn’t travel back often, the homecoming trip this year is special because of her 25th anniversary as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
“It’s a special thing. I haven’t been to homecoming every year. ..My mother, father and brother attended Howard…It is just Black joy,” Gamble said.
Melody Miller graduated from Howard in 1992 from the School of Communications, majoring in Radio, TV and Film. Miller is the former president of the Howard Alumni Club of South Florida.
She decided to attend homecoming and reconnect with her non-biological family after losing her husband in 2023.
“It was a place of healing for me. They embraced and hugged me,” Miller said.
She said she believes that when you attend Homecoming, you will feel a special love.
“Homecoming is more than just a football game; it’s a place for us to reconnect back to our Bison roots. A place to be loved upon,” Miller said.
Bruce and Tierra Turner met on campus during their undergraduate years. Bruce Turner is a graduate from the class of 1993 who studied microbiology and Tierra Turner is a graduate of the class of 1995 who studied finance. The couple explains the feeling of nostalgia every time they travel back to campus from Detroit, Michigan.
“Feels like I’m transported to my undergrad days. Seeing all the familiar faces and catching up. It feels magical,” said Tierra Turner.
Bruce Turner said Homecoming feels like home.
Alain Romain, Class of 1998, who serves as the Howard University Alumni Association of Metropolitan Houston, credits the evolution of social media for motivating his plan to attend several homecomings.
“It was 2008, the year of the Bison Round Up. It was a social media website like Myspace that was just for HBCU students. That website reconnected a lot of people I graduated with. When the website came out, everybody came out [to Homecoming],” Romain said.
Michael Brown, a graduate of the class of 2009 currently serves as the vice president in the same chapter as Romain, expressed his change in approach when attending Homecoming.
“I like the grownup feeling of Homecoming. When we were younger, we would see the older alumni and be like, ‘What are they doing ?’ Now I realized that they had their own thing going,” Brown said.
Copy edited by Damenica Ellis
