Black Excellence was the theme Feb. 6 when the Student Engagement Team hosted another Trivia Night–this one dedicated to celebrate Black history and culture.

With an estimate of 25 people in attendance, once the game started, the competitiveness start to rise.

Coordinator of Student Engagement Melanie Rooks put everyone on notice.

“They’re some trick questions. Just warning y’all,” she told the attendees.

The warning served to motivate the contestants, as several began locking in and preparing themselves.

The night covered a variety of topics, such as historical figures and civil rights movements to contributions in sports and entertainment.

Questions like “Who is the first Black vice president?”, “Who was the first rapper to win the Pulitzer Prize”, and “Who was the first African-American woman to serve as a United States Supreme Court justice?” had attendees thinking.

When the results were tallied, Ryon Johnson, senior, and Jasmyn Layton, sophomore, both secured victories.

Layton, said she enjoyed the competitiveness and recognition.

“It was fun, and I liked some of the questions because it made us think. And it wasn’t just easy questions everybody knew already. And plus, I was a winner, so yeah,” she said.

For others, trivia proved more difficult than expected.

Sophomore Myles Chambers, who had previously felt confident in his trivia skills, admitted he faced some unexpected challenges this time around.

“I thought I had this in the bag, but I struggled this time,” Chambers said.

The trivia night was not just a test of knowledge, it was a way to celebrate Black History, recognize leaders, and spark conversations about the contributions of individuals mentioned during the game.

Layton expressed how much Black History Month means to her.

“I love Black history month because it brings light to the leaders who look like me, and it brings the Black community together and trivia night helps folk with their knowledge about our history.” Layton said.

Chambers expressed how trivia night helped him personally.

“Even though it was just a game, I learned some new stuff about our history–like I didn’t know that Bill Russell was the first black coach in NBA History,” he said.

Fro many, Trivia Night was bigger than a game–it was a learning tool.

The next trivia night will be in March but, the theme has not been announced.