By: Anaya Miller
Daniela Dreke, a junior industrial/organizational psychology major and BCU president, stood on the stage of Iles P.E. Center after the night’s show came to a close, the BCU Night team celebrating behind her. The BCU Night show was titled “The Cookout,” focusing on the theme of community, and Dreke was surrounded by the people who had become her community over the planning process.
This was Dreke’s first year as director of BCU Night. Although being BCU president last year prepared her for a second run, balancing both positions was challenging.
“Being (BCU) Night director and president…was a lot of responsibility,” Dreke said. “So, you know, I had my own community. We had a BCU Night committee that we would meet with weekly to talk about ideas for a preshow. I would like to say that that was my community.”
Dreke’s team consisted of BCU officers, professors, sponsors and several alumni who had been part of BCU Night in past years. Among the team members was Naiya Brown, ‘25, last year’s BCU Night director; Candy Dolcy, assistant professor in the Social Work Department; and Ayanna Eastman, associate professor in the School of Journalism and Communication.
“You know, there [were] times where I felt like ‘I can’t, I don’t know if I can do this,’” Dreke said. “But… here at BCU, we have amazing sponsors, and they really pushed us through, pushed me through it and gave me the motivation. I knew if I was tired or if I knew I couldn’t do something, I could reach out to one of them. It was nice to know that I had a team behind me to help me out.”
Eastman, one of BCU’s sponsors, mainly assisted the club’s social vice president with the preshow. She also helped Dreke and noticed how cohesive her team was.
“The entire BCU Executive Committee was involved in the planning process, and everyone worked really well together to ensure that the evening went well,” she said. “As her sponsor, I tried to ensure that Dani had everything that she needed to fulfill her role as both BCU president and BCU Night coordinator – two very demanding roles that she fulfilled ably.”
Vittoria Patrick, a sophomore nursing major and BCU secretary, was also a part of Dreke’s team. She said she and other team members helped form a community by stepping out of their individual responsibilities to fill other roles where they were needed.
“I supported President Daniela by being available to assist whenever help was needed and by stepping in to support other areas when necessary,” Patrick said. “Daniela supported me by making sure I had everything I needed to complete my responsibilities. If I ever needed something, I knew I could reach out to her, and she would make sure it was taken care of.”
According to Dreke, the idea of a cookout theme had been circulating since last year. This year, Dreke and her team decided that a cookout was the best way to convey their idea of community. Dreke found cookouts to be nostalgic and wanted to bring that atmosphere to BCU Night.
“It brings me back to my younger days,” she said, “having these cookouts with family and friends at a park… coming together during the summer … it says nostalgic.”
The set design of BCU Night contributed to the sense of homecoming and family.
“We tried to be intentional with the whole show. So, when you walked into the gym lobby, you were walking from the living room to the backyard,” Dreke said.
Dreke continued to be grateful to her team for the work they put into BCU Night.
“I had a good time, just because of, again, the community and the support I had,” she said. “If it wasn’t for them, I would not have been able to do this on my own. Would I do this again? I’m going to say ‘no,’ just because I think somebody else should have the opportunity to see how great something they planned can be. I’ve had my time, I think it’s somebody else’s time to do it.”
