We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Somali Student Association a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Somali Student Association, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the biggest projects that the Somali Student Association at Michigan State University embarked on was our event to host a basketball charity game to raise money for Somalia, particularly to build two wells. The problem of access to clean water is still a huge one in many parts of Somalia, and we felt deeply obligated to make a contribution toward this issue. The idea of combining a community-oriented activity like basketball with a cause close to our hearts was what made the event both special and meaningful.

The work of planning the event was very exciting but also challenging. We worked really hard to book a proper venue, organize teams, and publicize our event within the campus and surrounding communities. What gave this project its deeper meaning was the realization that our efforts would have a practical impact in improving lives—by bringing clean water to a community that needed it most. Seeing people participate and donate showed unity and impact that our club achieved by running this event.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

The Somali Student Association at Michigan State University is a student-run organization. This group is dedicated to promoting and showcasing the very rich and diverse Somali culture throughout the university campus while fostering the growth of a strong and supportive community among students. Our mission is built around our unique heritage and sharing its values in an open and inclusive environment—one that welcomes and embraces students of all backgrounds, thereby making them truly feel a sense of belonging and home here. Through the years, we have coordinated a diverse and extensive array of events catering to many interests: engaging game nights, entertaining movie nights, rewarding volunteer opportunities, meaningful charity drives, and even an enjoyable haunted house experience. Every single one of these events serves not only as a representation of the rich and vibrant aspects of Somali culture but also plays a huge role in bringing students together, allowing them to learn from each other and also be able to lend a helping hand to one another in a supportive environment.

The biggest challenge we faced when we first started was trying to establish our presence on campus, which turned out to be a really big hill for us to climb. As a relatively new organization, it was difficult to attract members and establish our presence among a bustling community of student clubs. However, through persistence, creativity, and collaboration, we’ve grown into a vibrant and active group that’s recognized for our dedication to making MSU a more inclusive and culturally diverse campus. These experiences have instilled in us the importance of resilience and teamwork, enriching the meaning of our journey.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

One story of ours that demonstrates resilience is when it came to securing funding for our club. As a growing organization, one of our biggest challenges was finding the financial resources to bring our ideas to life and host meaningful events for the campus community. This required us to step outside of our comfort zones and get creative.

To raise money, we often pitched our events to other campus organizations and student government boards, explaining the impact and value of our initiatives to gain their support. These presentations weren’t always easy, as we had to make our voices heard and prove why our events were worth investing in. We also leaned into fundraisers, organizing activities like bake sales. Each effort brought our team closer together and reinforced our determination to make our vision a reality.

This process taught us invaluable lessons about perseverance and adaptability. Despite the obstacles, we stayed focused on our mission to spread Somali culture and foster community. Looking back, the challenges we overcame to secure funding made each successful event even more rewarding, knowing it was a result of our hard work and commitment.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Building our audience on social media as the Somali Student Association at Michigan State University was a journey full of collaboration and creativity. Initially, our presence was lacking, and we found it hard to gain attraction. We later realized the power of connection and began to actively reach out and engage with other student organizations on campus. In this way, by co-hosting events with clubs that shared our values and goals, we were able to tap into their networks and expand our reach.

Our events that we held also played an important role. Certain activities, like game nights, movie screenings, or joint events with other clubs, offered perfect opportunities to come up with engaging content displaying our community. We always made it a point to record those instances through photographs and videos that we would share on our social media outlets, placing relatable captions and hashtags. Each post became an invitation to others to join our journey and be a part of something meaningful.

We were consistent and authentic in our posting. We followed a regular schedule, shared behind-the-scenes of our preparations, and used stories to bring our audience into the real time. By showing this about our organization, we built trust and intrigue.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: ssa.msu
• Other: Tiktok: ssaxmsu