With plenty of talk about Howard’s husbands, wives, and lovers traveling up the hill, the stories of single Bison can go unheard. 

For some, there may not have been much luck in finding the right one. For others, singleness is an active choice to keep their heads in the books. Regardless of why some Bison are living single, there remains a journey to self-love that is arguably the greatest Howard love story of them all. 

Seasoned Howard students like Lauren Smith, a senior audio major, shared how living single at Howard has set her free.

“At times it do get lonely, I ain’t gon cap. It be hitting sometimes but I think I also enjoy it because I am able to freely explore who I am,” she explained. 

Smith describes the single life as a choice that allows her more space to get in touch with herself. “I don’t really have to keep myself from figuring out who I am,” she added.

First-year Howard Law student, Jy’Mir Starks recognizes the importance of pouring into yourself as a single student. With the weight of academia taking up mental space, Starks notes ways he has learned to show up for himself.

“I got out of a long-term relationship and that whole process has been like okay, so who the f*ck are you really?” remarked Starks. “The way I treat myself is just trying to figure that [question] out. A lot of that is just like hobbies. I do yoga in the morning. I like to learn different languages. So there’s stuff like that and the consumer sh*t. I’ll buy myself some clothes just because I think they gon look hard on me. So, just doing things that appeal to me as a person and make me feel like myself,” he shared. 

While showing up for yourself can be fulfilling, having the space to meet different people can too. 

Students such as Ve Wright, a sophomore journalism major, explained the fun that comes along with being a single LGBTQ+ person at Howard.

“Being single at Howard is nice. I feel like there is a perspective for being a Black, gay person at Howard and being a gay woman,” Wright said. 

“I feel like there’s a larger pool, especially since we’re mostly women, there’s definitely a larger pool of people to meet and mingle with. Being single at Howard is a really good experience although everybody wants their HBCU love story or whatever,” they expressed. 

At times, pressure can arise for college students to be “boo’ed up”. For students like Tameria Burks, a junior international business major, the social popularity of mental health practices has helped her avoid judgments about being single in college. 

“There used to be a lot of pressure on it [mental health] for sure but I feel like now that mental health is more important for people and working on yourself and healing, I just feel like people don’t take it as seriously as they used to. People are getting used to being single and working on themselves,” she explained.

Burks also notes how she has been able to reshape the way she perceives activities targeted toward couples due to her self-love practices.

“As I get older, it [Valentine’s Day] has become just about love in general and just celebrating love and having people who are there for you,” she added. 

Though there is nothing like a good Howard love story, the love that single Bison have fostered within themselves continues to shine across campus. 

The memories students create on their own and with peers will leave them feeling far from lonely, even if they aren’t cuddled up on a Twin XL.