Violet JiraEach year, Ole Miss students gather for the Big Event — a chance to give back to the community that serves as their home away from home. Working in groups from early Saturday morning until noon, Big Event volunteers engaged in a variety of service projects in and around Oxford.
“Big Event is so important because it is an opportunity for us to give back to the community that constantly pours so much into us,” said sophomore public policy leadership and international studies major Genevieve Wilson. “It brings students from all over campus together and provides great opportunities to lead and to do something proactive with your Saturday.”
The Big Event has historically been one of the largest service projects in the history of the University of Mississippi.
Like Wilson, sophomore chemical engineering major Thomas Isonhood appreciates the opportunity to give back to the community and loves the way the event brings together the university.
“I love The Big Event because it brings together a lot of students from different backgrounds and majors, who might not otherwise meet, all with the common goal of serving the LOU community,” he said.
Isonhood also pointed to the leadership opportunities that a student-led effort like The Big Event creates.
“I also love that there are so many opportunities for students to take leadership, from being a project leader to a subcommittee member to the executive board or even just being a volunteer,” he said. “There’s a place for everyone.”
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Big Event 2021 had to limit project sites as a safety precaution. This year, back in full swing, project sites included the South Campus Rail Trail, Central Elementary School and Magnolia Montessori School among many others.
