As we get closer to the end of the semester, the hecticness of classes can start to overwhelm students, and we often find ourselves waiting for the culmination of happiness and pride that homecoming week brings. It’s a time where we come together as a campus community to honor our traditions and celebrate with students, faculty and alumni. This year’s celebration was not that much different from any other year’s, but it seemed to have an optimistic spirit in the air, heralding to the university’s promising and innovative future.
Though homecoming is a time dedicated for alums, many of our most known and prominent events were a demonstration of the vibrancy and diversity that fills our campus. After complaints from students over the years about our concert headliners, the school did their homework this year and booked a performer that had campus buzzing for weeks.
Our homecoming concert featuring student performer DJ CHRLP and Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist 21 Savage saw an improved student turnout. For once, it seemed like we had the melting pot of people that is our campus in one area and it was a beautiful sight to see. Student favorites such as O’Cheer and the Alma Mater singing competition were also notable events that showed just how much spirit our school has.
In previous years, our Homecoming Court has been a more accurate reflection of how diverse our student leaders are. This year’s winner of the Homecoming Queen title, senior Chelsea Lovell, has been a dancer for the Hurricanettes for all four years and just got tapped into the Iron Arrow Society. Glen Howard, who won the Homecoming Prince title, is the president of the United Black Students and is well-known around campus for his bubbly personality. Additionally, our football team led us to a revitalizing win Saturday against Louisville that solidified our successful week.
Because of the construction of the new housing village, the parade was canceled, but that didn’t stop a spectacular turnout at the block party. Students lined up outside of the food trucks and the whole UM community came together for the annual boat burning ceremony and fireworks show. The festivities illuminated how far the university has come and how far we still have to go. This past year, we admitted a larger freshman class and it’s arguably one of the most diverse ones we’ve had. We have more commuter students, more students of color and more students from the Greater Miami area. There is a bustle to campus that is a result of the changes students and administrators have been taking to improve our school.
As the fireworks lit off with the new housing village in the background, the vision for UM had never been clearer. Despite being a school with a rich history filled with tradition, we aim to be a school that is representative of Miami and the world’s future.
Editorials represent the majority view of The Miami Hurricane editorial board.
Featured image by Jared Lennon