Dim lighting, dramatic music and a projected Google spreadsheet – a fitting environment for an Uno tournament.
SGA and Stempowerment joined forces to host an Uno tournament and fund Ogden College of Science and Engineering students.
Stempowerment is a student organization established last spring semester to help STEM students connect, get resources and build skills through workshops. Stempowerment provided $100, $25 and $15 gift cards for the top three winners.
Students paid $2 to enter. If eliminated after the quarterfinals round, students could re-enter for a redemption round for another $2 payment or pay $10 to go straight to finals.
The tournament consisted of three preliminary rounds, one quarterfinal round, two redemption rounds, two semifinal rounds and one final round.
First place went to Ryder Hebert, Joie Willoughby, a sophomore psychology and communication major, won second, and Nik Schintgen, a junior environmental, sustainability and geographic studies and international affairs major, took home third.
Twenty students attended, and seven made it to the final round.
“It took a lot of work to get this amount of people to come out,” Jade Ismail, a junior psychological sciences and biochemistry major, said.
Ismail organized the event. She founded Stempowerment and currently serves as its president and the chair of SGA’s Action & Opportunity Committee.
Ismail talked to Dean of Ogden College David Brown, who said that the college craved providing student research, travel and hands-on experiences. She traveled to Chicago in March on a school-provided fund, which she said allowed her to connect and interact with new people.
Meeting new people was also a goal of hosting the tournament.
“I have a lot of STEM friends, and I’m kind of lacking in non-STEM friends,” said Emma Morrison, a junior biology and chemistry major and operations administrator for Stempowerment.
She described the tournament as “a good way to bridge the gap in between a bunch of colleges.”
Ismail encouraged students to attend more SGA events.
“There’s a community for everybody, and we’re here to serve you,” Ismail said.
