The Black Student Christian Forum (BSCF), Andrews University’s largest student club, hosted its Jazzy Soiree banquet on Feb. 23, allowing 200 students and guests to enjoy each other’s fashion, excellent food, live music and further fellowship. Attendees arriving at the venue—The Brick in South Bend, Indiana—were met with an elaborate set up of jazz-themed décor that complemented the formal wear they arrived in. With a scheduled start time of 7 p.m., BSCF’s officers, led by club president Samantha Woolford-Hunt (junior, graphic design), provided students with opportunities for entertainment, socialization and plenty of memories.
Along with beautiful table settings and centerpieces, the Jazzy Soiree featured a photo booth complete with a custom-made 1920s-themed backdrop designed and created by Woolford-Hunt and jazz club-themed props. Students were also entertained by the event’s MCs, BSCF’s executive vice president Colin Browne (junior, psychology), and social vice president Natalie Makumbe (sophomore, speech pathology). In addition to announcing the various parts of the banquet program, they hosted an altered version of “The Dating Game,” which tested couples and pairs of best friends on their knowledge of each other.
Music was an obvious focal point of the event as several Andrews students and guests offered various jazz performances through singing, instruments or dance. Throughout the banquet, Jonathan Preddie (junior, mechanical engineering), BSCF’s audio-visual director, served as the night's DJ and had a mix of great jazz pieces and other genres that guests thoroughly enjoyed.
Food was supplied by the restaurant India Garden in nearby Mishawaka, Indiana. Guests had their choice of white rice, various curries and stews, samosas and naan bread to dine on while continuing to enjoy the musical performances and the night’s festivities. For dessert, guests had their choice of several cookies and brownies while also being able to sip on several non-alcoholic sparkling drinks.
Makumbe, who had the job of coming up with the Jazzy Soiree’s program and organizing the event with other BSCF officers, shared that the long planning process was definitely rewarding after seeing the banquet come together well.
“I think it [the banquet] was quite wonderful, honestly!” she said. “I had a lot of fun. Everyone that was there had a lot of fun. You could see it visibly, so I was pleased with the outcome.”
Matthew Bourne (junior, music education) attended the Jazzy Soiree and, despite showing up late, enjoyed the night. He shared that he particularly enjoyed the food and banquet’s jazz-themed set-up.
“The way they arranged the tables and all the other arrangements were really fitting the theme of the banquet,” he said. “The food they picked was better than most banquets.”
BSCF’s Jazzy Soiree was the first AU banquet Noah Johns (freshman, electrical engineering) attended and was greatly impressed.
“My boy Preddie played some really good songs, and just the environment overall was very nicely decorated,” he said. “It was a great time.”
The event ended with the handing out of three awards that were voted on by the attendees: best-dressed female, best-dressed male and best couple. Dominique Thomas (sophomore, early education) was named best-dressed female, Samuel Martin (junior, biochemistry) was named best-dressed male, and Zipporah Petgrave (freshman, psychology) and Jesse Lufafa (freshman, computer science) were honored with the title of best couple. Both ladies were crowned with tiaras, while the gentlemen received watches as their prize. After some more music played by Preddie, the night drew to a close, ending the elegant jazz-themed event.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.