Jeff & Jennifer – Howard University
HBCU Love Series
“When we met, we had no idea who we would be. Jeff was a sophomore in the School of Business at Howard; I was a freshman in Psychology. We met on a weekend community service trip to Florida sponsored by the Howard Chapter of the NAACP. That weekend was unforgettable and was probably the only way we would have met. School of Business was a whole other world from Arts & Sciences. Thank goodness we both loved to travel, and NAACP was offering a FREE trip to Florida. Our volunteer tasks were to encourage voters to turn out to vote and distribute Election Protection materials. After the workday, Jeff threw a party in his hotel room that eventually migrated out onto the moonlit beach. It was one of the first times, if not my first time, being drunk. He made sure I was safe, but at some point, I lost my favorite shoes on the beach. The next morning, I woke up to see him combing the beach. When we all gathered, Jeff found me and told me he woke up early to look for my shoes and, unfortunately, never found them. I knew this guy was rare from that moment on. We became friends afterward. Once we were back at Howard, we developed a friendship that includes our best and worst decisions LOL. He was there for me all throughout my first year at Howard. We partied together, studied together. We have memories at The Towers, on the Yard, in the Annex Cafeteria, in Douglass Hall. The campus was the foundation for the life we have built together. We are each others’ persons because our foundation was made in a place as rich as The Mecca aka Howard University. What began at age 19 in 2002, on a bus somewhere between Virginia and Florida has become the greatest love we could have hoped for. We are unapologetically each other’s best friends and top 1 thing to bring to “a stranded island.” Each year brings us more memories, stories, and love. Our accomplishment is a beautiful family and a growing legacy that truly is the best thing we got out of Howard. Our education and Bison Framily (friends turned family) are an immediate second.” -Jennifer
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