Marquette University’s Black Nursing Student Association hosted its first cookout on Feb. 27 in the Alumni Memorial Union in celebration of Black History Month. Students were treated to music, fun and a whole lot of food.
The MUBSNA executive board began to pile into AMU room 227 at 6:30 p.m. in order to set up for the cookout. They plugged in the speaker, pulled in the chairs and Amaia Magee, a sophomore in the College of Nursing and MUBNSA’s event coordinator, brought foiled-wrapped trays full of food. Packed inside was fried chicken, collard greens, steamed sweet potatoes and a crowd favorite dish, mac and cheese — all made by Magee.
“Food brings people together,” Magee said. “Students, they move away from home, so having them have a home-cooked meal was exactly what inspired me to do this cookout.”
The cookout began as a joint effort throughout MUBSNA, but Magee was the one who pitched the idea during a Teams meeting earlier in the semester. She began food prep on Feb. 25, only two days before the event. Knowing she was responsible for feeding the over 50 people who RSVPed to the event, Magee enlisted the help of her mom and grandmother, the very same people who first taught her how to cook.
“I grew up living with my grandma, so I used to always ask to help,” Magee said. “So, a lot of these recipes were handed down from her mom, and now they’re handed down to me.”
Magee placed the food out at 7 p.m. and by the end of event, barely any of it was left over. Throughout the night, students chatted, listened to music and enjoyed all the delicious food.
MUBSNA was established at the beginning of the 2025 fall semester with the hope of providing a community for Black nursing students at Marquette. Olivia Williams, a sophomore in the College of Nursing, is the vice president and co-founder of MUBSNA, and when she noticed the absence of spaces made for Black students, she knew she wanted to make a change.
“Marquette has been around for so many years, and to not have a Black student nursing association is kind of astonishing,” Williams said. “We want to make sure that we’re seen and heard, and to show [our members] that [they are] valued.”
So far, MUBSNA has hosted study groups, a bake sale and prepared hygiene kits for different Milwaukee shelters. Every month, the executive board sits down and prepares a club event for the month. Previously, they’ve planned a pancake breakfast and cultural trivia night.
MUBSNA President Chloe Jordan, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, was glad to see the cookout providing a safe space and is hopeful it will get the word out about MUBSNA.
“My main goal for creating this association is to build community here on campus,” Jordan said. “Being a minority and in the College of Nursing brings its own challenges that everyone cannot relate to. I wanted this club to be relatable and real.”
Jordan said that this time of the school year can be difficult. Whether that is because of academics, missing home or just being in a weird funk, MUBSNA wants to be the one to bring joy to their community.
“We care about our journey. We care about nursing as a whole,” Williams said. “We want to make sure that we’re helping others and playing events that others can join — not just nursing students.”
For students looking to join MUBSNA, reach out to the e-board or visit the club’s Instagram.
This story was written by Allison Scherquist. She can be contacted at [email protected]
