The Howard University Undergraduate Student Assembly (UGSA) hosted its re-amplified initiative, “First Fridays,” bringing back a plan that aims to bring the student body together.
First Fridays are hosted by UGSA as a themed mixer for all students to come and meet the organizations they’ve partnered with. It encourages networking, community bonding and campus engagement.
On Friday, Jan. 23, UGSA paired with some pre-professional organizations such as Delta Sigma Pi, Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc., Beta Kappa Chi, Gamma Chapter and Lambda Pi Eta: Eta Upsilon Chapter.
“Whether you’re with the orgs or not, we’re here to have a good time and get to know each other,” Taryn Young, a senior finance major and film minor, said. Young serves as one of the programming chairs for UGSA.
“This is a professional First Friday so we’ve paired with the professional orgs that are here to help through this time,” Young said.
Young is a member of Delta Sigma Pi, Iota Rho Chapter, known as Howard’s premier business fraternity. She emphasized that the event is open to everyone.
“Anybody can come be involved,” Young said. “It also depends on who’s involved with the evasion, like sometimes there will be a council First Friday where students can meet with all the executive councils.”
She stressed the importance of connection.
“Your network is your net worth, so just by being a bison is an automatic way to make a friend. Come out to as many events as you can [and] make the most of your four years,” she added.
Another student, Charlie Sconiers, a senior honors biology major, chemistry, Latin and math minor from Queens, New York agrees that students can connect as well.
“It’s important to network together to hopefully have collaboration by reaching a wider network of students to get more resources,” Sconiers said. “By meeting with us, we can ultimately help everyone out.”
Sconiers is a member of the Beta Kappa Chi, Gamma Chapter at Howard.
“We have a very big emphasis on making sure there’s excellence in the sciences. We do that by providing network opportunities with people who are in the industry,” Sconiers said.
She also mentioned that mixers or events like First Friday provide more opportunities for people outside the organizations to come and connect.
“Put yourself out there,” Sconiers said after admitting to being an introvert. She said one of the things that helped her get out of her shell was getting involved in organizations such as her own.
“It made me more confident overall, so if you meet the right people, it’s everything,” Sconiers said.
As the music, games and conversation continued throughout Punchout, the host, Jada Bryant, a junior business management major from Boston, Massachusetts, continued her encouragement.
“I love community and I love seeing everybody coming together to celebrate their differences or similarities,” Bryant said.
Bryant serves as a host for UGSA, where her job is to help gather the crowd for shared camaraderie.
“I’ve seen the history of First Fridays, from past years on social media,” Bryant said.
She shared how she wants to revive that feeling of everyone being together in one space and present.
“It’s packed. Everybody is talking to everybody and it seems like everyone is genuinely having fun,” Bryant said. “I’ve never seen an event like that. It was something that Howard held for students and that’s UGSA’s motto ‘for students by students’”
Bryant encouraged students and organizations to come out on the dance floor for food, line dances, collaboration and joy.
“No matter if you have an interest in joining any of these organizations, it’s an opportunity to have fun and meet new people,” Bryant said. “That’s what we came to Howard for: the community, the culture and legacy.”
Copy edited by D’Nyah Jefferson – Philmore