By: T’Neil Gooden
Brooklyn College (BC) students got to share their thoughts, personal projects, creepypastas, and more in BC’s Classical and Historical Society’s “March Motormouths” experience. This event allows students to present their passion projects to BC students; these projects could be about anything, from sharing their favorite “Studio Ghibli” movie quotes to independent plays and even video game-based family lore.
“Oftentimes, the only moment where students give presentations are for class, assignments, or overall more serious settings,” said Khadija Fall, the Vice President of BC Classical Society and junior at BC. I think beyond just getting to talk about subjects you’re passionate about with an engaged audience, you also can gain pretty valuable presentation and public speaking skills.”
Students were given the freedom to speak on any topic of their choosing, leading to passionate discussions and questions from the presenter and their audience members.
“Since this is my second time doing this event, I’ve only continued it because it’s just so fun talking about your interests as a student,” said BC senior Shania Clarke. “I feel like people assume that presentations can just be very academic. But this event adds some whimsy to it.”
This event opened the floor to students, not only in the Classical and Historical Society, but across all majors, to have a space to push their “[…] expressive freedom. It’s a fun space for students to share anything they may be interested in,” said Nico Vila, a sophomore and treasurer of the BC Classical Society.
Leaders of these societies consider it very important that students have the outlets they need to remain creative.
“As club leaders, I think it’s incredibly important and necessary to provide spaces for students to freely be themselves and share the things which they are passionate about!” Fall told The Vanguard. “We try to do our best to make our clubs engaging, fun, and supportive, for all majors, Classics, History, or otherwise. Events like these are so important as they allow students to show sides of their personality they often don’t, or maybe feel like they can’t.”
Attendees of the event want students to know that it is based on providing a safe space for students to express themselves.
“It’s an opportunity to hear the opinions of other students from a variety of departments. It’s through this event that I’ve realized that I share a lot of similar ideals with my other classmates,” Clarke said.
Vila also spoke about the importance of curating these events.
“As a commuter school, we have to work a little harder to build community. Lighthearted club events such as [March Motomouths] give us an opportunity to interact in a non-academic environment with each other,” Vila explained.
Students got to hear about themes and ideas that they are not familiar with, such as the world of creepypastas. This is just one of the terms that was adapted from the few presentations that showed how students learned from one another through their creativity.
“Getting to hear about people’s passions and interests is always so fun, and I love the Q&A parts where the presenter’s knowledge of the subject really shines. We’ve built a really nice community through our events, and I appreciate how comfortable everyone is with each other,” Fall said.
There is also a level of confidence that is experienced when doing these presentations.
“If you are someone that’s shy or timid, this event is great to work on communication skills and just being silly with people your age,” said Clarke.
Returning presenters realized how great it was the second time around.
“[My] favorite part of the event is the randomness of it all. This is my second time presenting for this event, and I was given full creativity over my presentation, which is the fun part of it all,” Clarke said.
The leaders within BC’s Historical and Classical Societies want students to know that these spaces mesh creativity and learning.
“You honestly can learn so much at these events! I think the best way to learn is through another person’s passion; when you can tell someone is well-versed, knowledgeable, and spirited about a particular topic, it really is so much more enjoyable and easy to retain that knowledge. I still think about previous presentations we’ve had fondly and will definitely remember these ones,” Fall said.
E-board members want students to feel free to join their societies and try to create something of their own.
“You don’t have to be a specific major to come to classical or historical society events. Anyone is encouraged to come for fellowship and fun, and you just might learn something new, too,” Vila said.
Members also share the same testimony; graduating senior Clarke shared her sentiment on this event as well.
“The BC Classical and Historical Society has really made an effort to make the college experience more comforting and not as serious. As a senior, I will deeply miss this event and the talks.”
For more about BC Classical & Historical Society’s upcoming events, visit their Instagram @bc_classicalsociety and @bchistoricalsociety.