This past week, Tech’s African Student Association (ASA) and Caribbean Student Association (CaribSA) held a joint Valentine’s Day event to promote community between members of both organizations.
The event took place in the evening and was designed to help take the edge off of a holiday traditionally responsible for spikes in loneliness and depression across both campus and the nation at large, while still providing a safe space for students of the organization to congregate and share experiences together.
“The inspiration behind was to throw a comedic yet cute Valentine’s Day Mixer for members of each organization respectively. The event has been done in the past so part of it is continuing traditions,” said John Igieobo, a third year CompE who serves as the membership chair for ASA.
The event started with a regular update of community events as is traditional with most club meetings. Following the formalities, the event truly began, with students splitting and receiving fun, comedic prompts relating to Valentine’s day to help spur conversation and connection between members of the community. Members of both clubs then took part in a spin off of the popular reality show, The Bachelorette, with the guys “wooing” some of the girls to entertain other members watching on, who playfully egged them on with compliments and motivational words.
The event was then concluded by enjoying some food together. The clubs work to provide a safe space for the black community through their community events and outreach programs.
“By hosting biweekly meetings, social events, and engaging in community outreach, each organization respectively tries to re-create a feeling of home for students who identify as African or Caribbean. For example, GT ASA hosted a Taste of Africa event in November at the Ferst Theater. Each organization plays a significant role in connecting these students with one another at a PWI like Georgia Tech,” Igieobo said.
The event comes at the tail end of Black History Month, with both clubs believing strongly in the message of love, respect and unity within the Black community. “We try to put smiles on the faces of our Black students here at Tech! We put a lot of effort in this recent event to emphasize the theme of community and love within the Black community,” said Igieobo in reference to the role he sees the club taking part in to promote and celebrate Black History.
Both GT ASA and GT CaribSA are always open for new members, so reach out to their instagrams, @gt_asa and @gt.caribsa, if you’re interested in joining or seeing a recap of the event.