As the October afternoons settled in, many BHPeers made it out to Pease Park to enjoy the BHPicnic, hosted by the HBA Social Committee! Savannah, a member on the team, came up with the idea. When asked for her inspiration, she “wanted to do something outdoorsy and fun and COVID safe, so I thought a picnic would be a good fit for that." “I like picnics and I think they’re cute and  fun way to socialize,” she added.

Despite a 30 minute walk for some, no one wanted to miss out on this event. Most notably was the steep hill on the way there. According to Kennedy Croom, “walking down that steep hill was a challenge, so I’m not necessarily looking forward to walking back home.” Others also had the idea to take the bus. “I live in Jester East, so a couple of my friends and I took the bus halfway and then walked the rest of the way here,” noted Anvitha Makineni.

Regardless, it was awesome to see such a good turnout. BHPeers had so much fun getting to know each other while playing basketball and spikeball and gathering in circles to talk while enjoying their pizza. When asked what she liked most about this event, Anvitha replied “personally, I’m all here for the food so that’s gotta be the highlight thus far.” She, like her friends, bonded over the shared memories of pizza and games as they got to gather together for the first BHP social in 2 years. A great comeback from COVID!

Beyond the food though, the BHPicnic gave everyone a chance to get to know their BhPeers better. Kennedy expressed, “I liked getting to meet people that I haven’t met yet. I feel like I’m filling in a bit of the blanks, just getting to meet all of the people and getting to know the other BHP kids as well.” Savannah also pointed out she “liked that it was chill and low commitment, you can just show up and there wasn't a lot of work involved. It’s just an easy way to meet new people.”

With the busy-ness of the semester and midterms, the picnic was a perfect way to socialize with peers in a low-stress setting outside of the classroom. Additionally, many BHPeers met their Big. Having an HBA Big is such a good opportunity for both a friend and mentor, especially having someone who went through the same things in the program. When asked if she has met her Big, Kennedy said “Yes, I actually met her today. Her name is Mackenzie. She seems really sweet. I actually have another BHP friend, Natalie, and we have the same big. We’re all gonna hangout later this week, so I’m really excited for that.”

When asked about future events, Savannah said “I would like to see more events where people can eat together, more food related events to bring people together.” A chance to hangout with your new Big or attend more HBA events in the future is definitely something to look forward to!