By Juwairiyah ‘Jay’ Mohammad (School Convenor; BSc Economics & Finance) and Kareem Bahgat (Ethnicity & Equity Ambassador; BSc Economics & Finance)
For many students, Eid is a time to celebrate with family and close friends, share food and enjoy being together. For those studying away from home, that can feel quite different. This event was about creating that same sense of celebration at UEA and giving students a chance to come together, enjoy the occasion and feel part of something familiar and welcoming.
The event came together through the preparation that took place in the weeks beforehand. As one of the Ethnicity & Equity Ambassadors, Kareem led the event and I was keen to support him as School Convenor and get involved wherever I could. This included working with Kareem to organise the food delivery, choosing options we thought students would enjoy while making sure everything felt right for the celebration. Alongside this, I helped put up posters across campus to spread the word and build awareness ahead of the day. By the time it all came together, it felt like a genuine team effort and a lovely reflection of what Eid is really about: bringing people together, sharing with others and creating a sense of community. In that way, the event felt like a really positive example of the ECO community coming together to celebrate.
When I proposed the idea during one of our meetings, everyone supported it. I hope future SOCAs will continue to keep events like this in mind when planning similar celebrations. As an international student from a country where Eid is a big part of the year, I wanted to make sure it was marked properly at university too. That was the drive behind the event. It was a chance to create something joyful, familiar and shared, and to make Eid feel visible within the UEA community.
The event itself was really appreciated by both those who celebrate Eid and those who do not. For international students especially, being away from family and close friends during an important celebration can be difficult, so being able to recreate even a small part of that atmosphere meant a lot. Seeing students and faculty come together in that way made the event feel really special. It was a lovely celebration and we want to thank everyone involved for helping to make it happen.