Tour of Howard

Many of the freshman seminar discussions have heightened my awareness about Howard University and its past alumni. This week I learned about the buildings that collectively form the Howard University campus. What were most appealing to me were the names of the buildings. At other schools you may see buildings titled: Building B, Building C, Building D, etc. However, at Howard University, we have taken enough pride in our ancestry to incorporate their historical names with our historical buildings. This is a unique quality that separates Howard University from most schools around the United States of America. While listening to this week's freshman seminar lecture, I could not help but to recall the times I visited the Howard University campus prior to picking the college of my choice. When I first arrived on campus, the first thing I noticed was the names of all of the different buildings. Fredrick Douglass Hall and the Harriet Tubman Quadrangle were the buildings that stood out to me the most. These buildings are what made me realize that all of the buildings at Howard University are named after influential African Americans. Furthermore, the buildings whose African American names were unfamiliar to me motivated me to learn more about my African American history. I felt as if I could not reside in the Harriet Tubman Quadrangle's Baldwin Hall if I did not know anything about Harriet Tubman or Mary Baldwin. This attitude was transferred towards all of the buildings that surround me on this campus. These unique qualities that are embedded in the Howard University campus allow its students to maintain an immense amount of pride towards their school. This pride is seen around campus every time I walk through the yard and I see everyone wearing their Howard University clothing and discussing how Howard University was the perfect college choice for them. This also motivates Howard University students to seek excellence and represent their alma mater to the fullest extent. Who knows, maybe we will all have buildings named after us one day.