The Hilbert Senior Leadership Cohort 4 and Hilbert Helpers put together the biggest campus event, which was the Cure SMA, Walk and Roll on April 16th.

Approximately 200 people attended the event to raise awareness and money to find a cure for SMA. The senior leadership raised $19,000. 

The event consisted of several basket raffles, prize wheels, sensory table for kids, and two pharmaceutical companies for SMA in attendance. The event concluded with a walk; all 232 people walked three laps around campus to support the awareness to SMA. 

Bailey Walter, a student and participant, said she was proud to be part of the effort.

“I am extremely grateful for all the hard work that leadership cohort 4 and Hilbert helpers put in the last three months to make this event possible,” she said. “We have 200 attendees and raised $19,000 which I am currently still trying to wrap my head around. The event was amazing, and we all got to meet so many amazing families.” 

Lauryn Scott, a current Hilbert student, she was surprised by the large turn out.

“It was amazing how many people were in attendance of this event,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen an event on campus that has had this many people. The event taught me a lot of things about SMA because I did not know about this disease before”. 

The event was put together with the six leadership seniors: Jordan Salomone, Bailey Walter, Bryianna Williams, Hunter Holler, Curtis Krajewski, and Stephen Houghton. 

The Hilbert Hawks women’s softball team went on a trip to Myrtle Beach, North Carolina where They participated in a softball tournament, competing against seven[SJ1]  other college softball teams.  

Senior ^first basemen, Bailey Budziszewski said the team trip helped prepare them for the upcoming season this spring. 

“Practice is necessary and helps us improve, Budziszewski said. “Playing in games is much different than practicing in the gym among ourselves though it allowed us, specifically the coaches, to see what we can do. We can now have a better idea of our strengths and weaknesses individually and as a team.”

The 2023 Hawks will go into the season with two senior captains – Bailey Budziszewski and Victoria Lakeman – along with 23 other players. “The trip to Myrtle Beach created an opportunity for the players to build a stronger chemistry with each other.”

“We spent a lot of quality time together on and off the field,” senior captain Victoria Lakeman said. “We stayed in suites when we go to Myrtle Beach with about eight to 10 players per suite. We go grocery shopping together, make meals together and do various housekeeping tasks like washing our uniforms together. It was definitely a chance to get to know each other better and discover similarities among all of us.”

The Hawks will officially start their season  March 28, 2023, playing away at Elmira College at 3 pm. Individuals will be able to online stream the game through the Hilbert website.

The Black Student Union hosted a soul food dinner in the campus dining hall last month, part of the campus Black History Month celebration.

The Soul Food Dinner event was created and hosted by the Black Student Union by President Jamal Harris for all of Hilbert Community to attend. This event was created to give the Hilbert community a taste of soul food and for some members of the community a little piece of home, he said.

“I wanted to do something fun to end Black History Month,” Harris said. “Also, this was done by BSU in the past, so I wanted to bring it back. But I also wanted to support local black business.”

 Soul food is prepared and made as an African American tradition. Many African American families have soul food on Sundays to bring family together and to have a good time and just enjoy each other. This event means a lot to African American students who are far away from home and don’t have the chance to have a soul food dinner with their families, Harris said.

 Harris hired Park Vue, a soul food restaurant in Buffalo, to cater the event.

Fifteen students attended this event excited to have a taste of soul food.

“I’ve never really had soul food from a catered business because my family normally cooks soul food dinners,” said Wendell Abellard, a resident who attended the event. “I will definitely be looking out for more events like this in the future.”