Around this time of month the temperatures are dropping, classes are kicking into full gear, and graduation is looming. But there’s one more thing the month of October brings that warms the heart of every HBCU student and alumni.
HOMECOMING!
‘Tis the season for agricultural green and citrus orange flags embracing light poles, tailgating on Perry Street with your favorite vendors, and doing the wave at Bragg Memorial Stadium. Homecoming is a culture within itself, but it is a bittersweet moment as graduating seniors prepare to leave the Rattler’s Nest and soar off to higher heights.
Malaysia Jones, a nursing major, says she is going to make this homecoming count.
“I have mixed emotions but overall I’m excited! It feels good to be celebrating my school during a time that I am so close to finishing but at the same time I can’t help but also feel sad,” Jones said.
“Reality is definitely setting in that this is the last time I’ll be able to enjoy the festivities as a student and with friends in this way. I just feel like I need to make this homecoming my best one, for one last time!”
Some students are adept to the stirring emotions of the final months of undergrad, others are just happy to finally witness the prominent FAMU homecoming experience.
Kyndall Sirmons, a biology pre-medicine major, says that this is her first homecoming experience.
“This is my first (and last) semester in undergrad where I’m not marching in the band. I was never able to participate in any of the homecoming activities my entire time at FAMU until now,” Sirmons said.
“I’m super excited to be able to enjoy the festivities and truly experience a FAMU homecoming as a student.”
Jones says she is particularly excited about FAMU’s Set Friday and the homecoming game against Prairie View A&M University. She has high expectations for this year’s homecoming and believes it will be fun and safe.