NABJ to kick off school year with annual event

Students perform at Apollo Night. Jameson Fowler photos

An organization highlighting the impact of Black students in journalism is preparing to throw their first event of the semester.

Apollo Night is an annual event put on by Troy’s National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and Troy’s Welcome Week Committee that allows students to showcase their talents to their peers at the beginning of every fall semester.

“It’s meant to be a fun, high energy event that celebrates the creativity we have here at Troy,” said NABJ President Amiyah McClease, a junior broadcast journalism major from Birmingham, Alabama. “There are so many talented people on campus who just need an opportunity to showcase what they can do.

“We also wanted to create an event that brings people together, supports student talent, and gives everyone a chance to enjoy a night of entertainment while building community.”

While it is a talent show, the event is also supposed to be a hangout for any students not performing, whether you know any of the performers or not.

“It is a great opportunity to get involved in the first week of school,” said NABJ Vice President Carrington Thomas, a sophomore broadcast journalism major from Montgomery, Alabama. “There will be great music and talent, and a chance for you to win a prize.”

Though the event is held and organized by the NABJ, it’s open to everyone and promotes diversity of student interactions. The NABJ’s mission to create opportunities for young Black journalists and Apollo Night is simply an event with a broader purpose: to create opportunities for anyone to embrace their passions and talents.

For Welcome Week President Taliyah Speights, a junior social work major from Marianna, Florida, the night acts as a mean of promoting another student organization and bringing the Troy community together.

“Working with other organizations during welcome week allows organizations that some students normally would not hear about to be noticed and appreciated,” Speights said. “It’s a great way to introduce students to an organization they might love, even if it’s just a few.”

For any students that might be uncomfortable performing in front of others, she ensures that all Trojans will have a Welcome Week event for them.

“Every event was created to cater to all students,” Speights said. “There is truly something for everyone this week.”

Apollo Night will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 12, in the Trojan Center Ballrooms. Tickets will be $5 at the door.