USU to host annual ‘Friendsgiving’
*Audio clip is the voice of the USU Inclusion Center gender and sexuality coordinator.
On Nov. 24, Utah State University Residence Life will host its own ‘Friendsgiving’ to include students from all backgrounds that cannot have Thanksgiving with their families.
Nathan Kwong, a Residence Life assistant, will host the event this year. To make the event possible, Residence Life will partner with USU’s Global Engagement Office, Student Affairs, Aggies Think Care Act, the Inclusion Center, and Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
“We started it up here as a campus-wide initiative to really make sure that when we say that you’re here as the Aggie family, we really mean that,” Erika Lindstrom, the gender and sexuality coordinator for USU’s Inclusion Center, said.
Lindstrom created the event when she was the area coordinator in Residence Life.
“What really inspired me to start this program is, in a previous institution, I’ve seen it where students that didn’t have a place to go for the holidays will just be hanging around and not really feel like they have a connectedness over the holiday,” Lindstrom said.
Lindstrom said there were various reasons why students possibly couldn’t go home to celebrate the holiday, whether it be financial barriers, a lack of familial support or work complications.
“I just don’t want students to not have a place to go,” Lindstrom said.
However, Friendsgiving didn’t happen during 2020 and 2021 due to coronavirus restrictions. But Kwong said he was already doing a Friendsgiving of his own.
When Kwong became a resident assistant in 2020, he noticed several students didn’t have places to go for the holiday, especially when he worked in international student housing.
An out-of-state student himself, Kwong recognized the difficulties that came from not visiting family. Thankfully, he said, he had extended family in Utah to visit.
Kwong created his own Friendsgiving event to provide a holiday celebration for students who may not have a background with Thanksgiving, or who had relatives in other countries.
“We made sure it wasn’t called ‘Thanksgiving’ for a reason,” Kwong said. “It’s not just because of the historical context, but also, we didn’t want it to be a formal vibe. We want more of a, ‘Relax, come in, grab some food, meet some people, play some games.’”
Now, Kwong is partnering with Lindstrom and the other organizations to create a broader event. This way, students from all over can celebrate and have something to do.
“It’s kind of like what a family gathering should be — no judgement. You come as your authentic self, and it’s just a place to make friends,” Lindstrom said.
Considering the success of Friendsgiving in the past, Lindstrom said she is confident this year will also bring connectedness to students and a greater service across the community.
The first year Lindstrom hosted the event, a family even came to the event to volunteer their help.
“Having those volunteers that I wasn’t anticipating helped out tremendously — many hands make light work,” Lindstrom said. “So, this is something to really think about for the holidays — how are you giving back to your community?”
-Jenny.Carpenter@usu.edu
Featured photo by Bailey Rigby