Thanksgiving means more than just turkey and ham for many on Marshall’s campus. Plans differ among students during the break. 

Some are going home for the holiday, to unwind from the pressures of college life and to recharge with their family. 

“I will be going home to Princeton and my family, and I will put up the Christmas tree together on Thanksgiving Day,” senior Tyanna Price said. 

Others will take a Thanksgiving vacation to visit family and friends in an area different from their home. 

“If I get the chance, I definitely would head to Columbus to spend Thanksgiving with my grandparents as well as the other family I have up there,” junior Matthew Yuschak said. “I am from Georgia, but Columbus would be the place I would be heading for my break.” 

While a lot of students look to go home and see family and their hometown friends, others choose to stay local and spend the holiday and break with their friends they have made here on campus.

Friends Taylor Henry and Azaria Micheal, who have been at Marshall for two years, will have a celebration among friends rather than family to celebrate turkey day.

“We are staying here and having a Friendsgiving,” Micheal said. “We did one last year, and we want to continue it this year. It’s our tradition, and hopefully we can get more of our friends to join.”

There are a group of students on campus who won’t get the opportunity to head home for Thanksgiving. Some live too far from home to go back and return to campus in a week. Others, like athletes in the middle of their season for football and basketball, are staying local for the break, but they still find ways to celebrate with each other.

“Usually, the team brings in catering and we have our own Thanksgiving meal here at the facility,” said Jalen Slappy, junior and offensive lineman for the football team “Then, most of the team heads to one another’s houses and spends the day together. I am one of the lucky ones because I live in Columbus, and practice on Thanksgiving day is early. So, I will get to go home, but it’s nice to know we have that bond with each other where none of us are alone during the holiday.” 

Tariq Montgomery can be contacted at [email protected].