Southeastern welcomed students, faculty and staff to the Student Union Ballroom on Wednesday, April 1, for its 46th annual Strawberry Jubilee, themed “Sweet on the South.”
Strawberry Jubilee was first started in 1980 as a way to celebrate the start of spring and the local strawberry season, according to Johnson.
“Today, we stand by this tradition and celebrate our ever-growing campus and student life and the local strawberry season,” Campus Activities Board president Raynia Johnson said.
Hosted by the Campus Activities Board, the spring traditions serve as a gathering point for the university community ahead of spring break, blending celebration and campus engagement.
The event opened with a traditional cake-cutting ceremony led by SLU President William Wainwright, First Lady Misty Wainwright and Miss Southeastern Miranda Sensat, marking the start of the celebration.
“Strawberry Jubilee is a longstanding tradition as we look back at the history of our region and strawberry farming. For us, it’s the midpoint of our spring semester; it brings our student family together with faculty and staff to celebrate all that’s been accomplished,” Wainwright said.
Students, faculty, staff and locals joined in on the festivities, as plenty of campus organizations served tasty treats at their promotional tables.
Johnson said, “This is also an opportunity for local vendors around Hammond to table and get their names out there to students who may have otherwise never heard of them.”
Johnson is responsible for upholding the campus’s biggest traditional events. This means her role includes planning, budgeting, executing setup and cleanup, and other behind-the-scenes tasks like ROAs and purchase forms, gathering vendors, etc.
SLU sophomore Maraina Scott said the three-tiered ceremonial cake was “very tea.”
“I’m here to celebrate Strawberry Jubilee, have a good time and get strawberries,” Scott said.
Due to potential bad weather, the event was held on the third floor of the Student Union Ballroom this year instead of the breezeway.
It was Scott’s second time attending Strawberry Jubilee, and she said, “Last year was very hot, so I’m glad it’s inside this year.”
From high student engagement to the delicious array of desserts, the celebration was truly sweet.
