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A variety of cookies, pies and desserts is displayed on the Friendsgiving potluck table inside the Aleshire Center. Students helped themselves throughout the evening as dishes were quickly picked over.
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Students gather around tables to eat and talk during the event. The group stayed for food, conversation and a relaxed break before the holiday.
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Crockpots and dishes line the Friendsgiving potluck table as students serve themselves dinner inside the Aleshire Center. The buffet stretched across the room and stayed busy throughout the night as people continued arriving.
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Lillian Clark, special events director of WSGA, holds up her plate of food. She posed for a quick photo before joining other students at the table.
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Students chat and eat together during the Friendsgiving event. The table stayed lively as groups rotated in and out throughout the evening.
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Students laugh and take photos together during the Friendsgiving event at the Aleshire Center. The group shared jokes and captured memories as the night went on.
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Lauren Edelman (left), director of the Aleshire Center for Leadership and Community Engagement and Madeline Lambing, associate director of leadership experiences, serve themselves dinner. The two faculty members joined students at the potluck-style gathering Thursday night.
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Morgan Alexander (left), one of the event organizers, and Wendo Kimori, the community and advocacy fellow, share a light moment during the Friendsgiving event at the Aleshire Center. The pair greeted students and helped keep the atmosphere welcoming throughout the night.
The Aleshire Leaders of Tomorrow hosted their Friendsgiving event on Thursday, Nov. 20, creating a relaxed, food-centered space for students to connect before break. The gathering took place in the Aleshire Center Office in Plass 215 and drew students throughout the evening for casual conversation and shared dishes.
Wendo Kimori, the community and advocacy fellow at the Aleshire Center, said the timing of Friendsgiving is deliberate. With the holidays approaching, students are often overwhelmed and stressed.
“This is something we do because we’re close to the holidays, and students are, you know, less likely to [attend] workshops [and] the usual events that we do,” Kimori said.
The goal, Kimori explained, is to make the environment feel welcoming and low-pressure. Students can drop in, sit wherever they feel comfortable and meet people naturally. The structure was made simple so the focus stays on connection.
Morgan Alexander, one of the event organizers, said Friendsgiving has consistently drawn strong turnout. Alexander first attended last year before helping run the event this year and remembers how surprisingly popular it was.
“Last year, the people that were in charge hosted this as a one-off,” Alexander said. “It was really popular. A lot of people showed up. I came. I had a good time.”
Food was a major highlight again this year. Alexander prepared two large batches of mac and cheese, but both disappeared before they had a chance to try any.
“I didn’t even get a bite of it,” Alexander said.
Alexander added that seeing people enjoy something they cooked made the effort worthwhile.
Utsav Poudel, senior computer information sciences major, said Friendsgiving gave him a memorable look into American culture.
“I’m an international student, so being part of traditions like this always means a lot,” Poudel said. “It was an awesome experience. You could walk in, sit anywhere and immediately feel included.”
Students stayed at tables long after getting their plates, drifting between groups and joining conversations with people they hadn’t met before. The room stayed lively, with laughter and small clusters of discussion filling the space. It was the kind of event where people came for the food but ended up staying for the atmosphere.
Stuti Neupane, sophomore computer and information sciences major, said her favorite part of the night was “hanging out with everyone,”.
As the evening wrapped up, students drifted out with full plates and lighter moods, leaving behind the kind of easy conversations the Aleshire Center hopes to encourage. Friendsgiving didn’t rely on formal activities or programming, it worked because people simply showed up, shared food and made space for one another. For many who attended, that sense of community was the real highlight of the night.
Edited by Anushma Dahal and Arohi Rai
