SE classes collaborate on event for students to network, have fun

By Jamil Oakford/se news editor

SE Campus jumped aboard the Collaboration Station Nov. 4 with the help of collaboration between business and hospitality classes.

“We’ve been planning since the second week of school,” SE convention and group management student Brandy Fowler said.

The event, thrown in the North Ballroom, was organized by students for students.

“They picked up a lot of stuff that they could not have been able to do otherwise,” Fowler said. “A lot of them didn’t even know we had a career services.”

Mostly laid out as an information event for students to hear about the different services available at the campus, they also had speakers for an array of topics.

But as successful as the event was among students in attendance, the planning of it presented its own struggles.

“There was a lot of drama, but you’ve got to overcome it — the show goes on,” student leader and conventions management student Bryce Pace said.

Business and hospitality classes throw a large event for students to have fun and learn more about services and activities on SE Campus Nov. 4. Students were treated to music, food and several guest speakers.  Photo courtesy Talia S. Dancer
Business and hospitality classes throw a large event for students to have fun and learn more about services and activities on SE Campus Nov. 4. Students were treated to music, food and several guest speakers. Photo courtesy Talia S. Dancer

And simply trying to get two classes that meet at separate times together was difficult enough.

“This class is together more than my class,” said fellow student leader from the collaborating business class Brandy Martinez-Lopez. “Trying to get two classes that aren’t always together all the time, we had to find time.”

She said that they had to set rules for dealing with any drama to ensure that everything got resolved.

“We didn’t stay caught up in anything,” she said.

Pace was pleased with the project and found he really enjoyed being everywhere at once to help facilitate the event.

“I feel like this prepared me for real-world experience,” he said. “I thought I was going to be a hotel student in the end, but after this experience, I’m definitely going into event planning.”

The students felt that even though some aspects for the event weren’t as interesting for one class as for the other, everyone had strengths that contributed to a great event.

The scale and the content of the event blew SE student Vicki Moore away.

“It was fantastic! Very surprising that everyone was so cooperative,” she said. “It was fun. They had dancing and singing and a really good lunch.”