In a week chock-full of Suffolk events to celebrate the end of the school year approaching, Thursday’s Ramily Reunion managed to stand out as one of the most special among them. Ramily Reunion is a block party put together by the Program Council club on campus, and for senior president Andrew Navaroli, this event was a culmination of his four years he spent dedicated to being involved in student affairs. I sat down with Andrew earlier this week to discuss his time spent here at Suffolk, his involvement in Program council, and what Ramily Reunion means to him.
Pictured above: Program Council President, Andrew Navaroli
Q: What is your favorite aspect about being a part of Program Council?
A: What I love most about Program Council is the fact that we get to help build a community here at Suffolk. Since we’re not a traditional campus, it’s really important to have events and have experiences for people to come together. I think it’s program council’s responsibility to continue to build community, bonds, and experiences throughout the rest of a student’s time here.
Q: How would you best describe what Program Council is?
A: Program Council is a collection of student leaders from all different areas who really just come together to have fun and put on events for the Suffolk community.
Pictured above from left to right: Andrew Navaroli, Bit Zorzi, Carly Dutra, and Jeanette Marasi
Q: Can you take us through the process of making Ramily Reunion happen?
A: Well, we began brainstorming ideas for a theme in November. Once we had all decided that we wanted it to be a space theme, I started by making a google doc and writing down ideas that I thought were cool. From there, I saw what was feasible, what was reasonable with pricing, and I started reaching out to vendors.
Q: What was your biggest challenge in putting this event together?
A: The outdoor space. The Roemer Plaza is concrete, it’s not grass, and it’s also not that large. With a limited outdoor space like this, we really had to work within the restrictions. Because of this, a lot of vendors couldn’t make what I wanted to happen, but it ultimately works out.
Q: Why is Ramily Reunion special to you?
A: As a senior who will be graduating next month, this will be the last big event I put on for Suffolk as a part of Program Council. It feels like just yesterday I was a freshman in this club, and I have so many great memories from my four years here. A lot of people worked hard to make sure this day was special for me.
Pictured above from left to right: Bit Zorzi, Casey Mulcare, Jeanette Marasi, Andrew Navaroli, and Julia Demopoulos
Q: Do you think Ramily Reunion was a success?
A: Yes! It was actually significantly more smooth than I ever could have anticipated, besides a little bit of rain at the beginning which was out of my control. I was honestly so much calmer and so much more comfortable running it than I expected. Someone asked me the night before if I was ready, and I honestly said yes, I felt fully prepared.
Q: Any last thoughts looking back on Ramily Reunion?
A: I’m just so happy, everyone was on their A – game, including the Suffolk Facilities team, all of our vendors, even Sodexo. Everyone came together to make this happen for me and I couldn’t be more grateful.