The Howard University Student Association (HUSA) hosted one of their last events of Welcome Week and the first of its kind – Red Table Talk on Aug. 24. For those who missed the opportunity to attend, Cover 2 Cover captured the highlights for you. Here’s everything you missed at the event. 

The program took place in the Armour J. Blackburn’s Reading Room where panelists, ranging from alumni to faculty to student leaders, answered burning questions from students in a “speed-dating” style. 

Inspired by the Facebook series hosted by actress Jada Pinkett-Smith, the event was born from student feedback that traditional panels could be “overwhelming.” 

Kaylyn Bailey, a junior Africana Studies major, and Jaden Smith, a senior Biology major, co-led the event. The Special Projects and Programming Division of HUSA brainstormed ways to make the panel experience more comfortable and enjoyable for students.

“We wanted to give them [students] a more intimate and personal experience, especially being new students at Howard. We wanted to remind them that we’re all family,” Smith said. 

Madison Harris, a Cathy Hughes School of Communications (CHSOC) alum who currently works at Fox News, was able to give students insight on how she turned an internship into a full-time job opportunity.

“It was really important for me to be here today because Howard can be a really difficult place to manage,” Harris said. Harris recommended students make themselves available and show their best selves, regardless of what they might fear of the outcome. 

SOC Graduate of Spring 2023, Madison Harris, shares some last minute words of wisdom to students. Photo by Eliana Lewis.

Cole reminded students that Howard not only builds character, but prepares them for the real world. Photo by Eliana Lewis.

Serving as the special advisor for Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, Kyla Cole had endless advice to give to students who inquired about a career on Capitol Hill and post-grad life in general. As a 2020 graduate, Cole had to find a way to maneuver through job freezes and roadblocks—none of which was going to stop her from landing the job she wanted. “Never let there be an opportunity for a no,” she advised.

Since Jasmine Young’s graduation from Howard University in 1994, she has worked with artists such as DMX and Jay-Z, providing marketing strategies and making a name for herself in music and entertainment. She was brought back to the Mecca in 2022 to serve as the director for the Warner Music Blavatnik Center for Music Business, located in the School of Business. 

Young, along with members of the current Warner Music Blavatnik Center Fellowship cohort, stressed the importance of navigating your passion while still pursuing your education. 

The music industry mogul shared how she graduated from Howard with only her dream and no plan, but was able to turn her dream into a long-standing career that has pushed her to a position of empowerment today. “Be yourself,” she said. “You don’t have to adapt to the rigidness of the world.”