Powerful United Ladies Striving to Elevate at Binghamton University hosted its 12th-annual banquet, “The Feminine Flora,” on Sunday evening in the Mandela Room, bringing students together for a night of performances, awards and community celebrations centered around empowerment and environmental awareness.

Held on March 8 in recognition of International Women’s Day, the banquet highlighted both the organization’s mission to uplift women on campus and its commitment to raising awareness about climate justice.

The Mandela Room was transformed into a floral-themed space, with round tables draped in green and pink tablecloths and decorated with floral plates, patterned napkins and colorful flower arrangements. Paper fans and floral accents lined the tables, while butterflies, flowers and green lanterns decorated a catwalk that ran through the center of the room. Along the walls, photo booth stations featured floral backdrops, fairy lights and a ring light where attendees gathered throughout the evening to take photos.

Arianna Garcia, president of PULSE and a senior double-majoring in environmental science and geography, shared how this year’s banquet theme was inspired by her academic interests and personal connection to nature.

“Ever since I was young, I’ve always loved being outside and loved being one with nature, especially within forests or gardening,” Garcia said. “So in a lot of my classes, we talk about climate change and how it disproportionately affects different groups of people. Something I thought was really interesting was how it disproportionately affects women of color.”

Garcia added that climate change impacts women in the Global South, citing challenges like limited access to water and impacts on agriculture and farming.

Guests were welcomed with a DJ set featuring a mix of R&B, Afrobeats and house music before the formal program began. Dinner options included a choice of jerk wings or barbecue wings paired with macaroni and cheese or rice and peas, along with sides like sweet plantains, Caesar salad or empanadas.

Additionally, the banquet partnered with the Ross Park Zoo, with proceeds from the banquet supporting the zoo’s conservation efforts in the Binghamton community.

The program began with remarks introducing the theme before transitioning into the evening’s performances. The first performance came from Undivided, a multicultural singing group at the University. Two soloists led a powerful performance of “Electric Lady” by Janelle Monaé, accompanied by three background vocalists whose harmonies were paired with coordinated choreography.

Later in the evening, PULSE recognized members of the campus community through several awards. The Rainmaker Award, which recognizes individuals who help nurture growth within their communities, was awarded to Jestina Tam, the Student Association’s vice president of multicultural affairs and a senior majoring in biology. SHADES, an organization founded for queer students of color, received the Rooted Radiance Award.

An interactive game also invited audience members to race to retrieve items called out by hosts and bring them to the front of the room, with winners receiving Chipotle gift cards.

Following the awards, interns served dinner during an intermission, where guests interacted and visited the photo booths.

The program later recognized students from different communities across New York City and Long Island, with attendees cheering as boroughs such as Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx were called out. Several student organizations were also acknowledged, including the African Student Organization, Black Student Union, Chinese American Student Union, Men of Color Scholastic Society, Latin American Student Union and JUMP Nation.

One of the highlights of the evening was the banquet’s fashion show, which reflected the “feminine flora” theme through beautiful nature-inspired designs and performances.

“I created it to kind of show the different parts of the environment,” Garcia said. “We have a Mother Nature, we have a flower, we even have a bug that I thought was super cute, just to show the fashionable side of nature.”

Each model walked down the floral-lined runway to a different song, combining stunning runway walks with graceful dance movements and ending their performance with a pose. The segment concluded with all models returning to the runway together.

For members of PULSE, the banquet also represented an opportunity to build community and create space for connection.

Sudipta Barua, an intern for PULSE and a junior majoring in biology, said she joined the organization to find a supportive environment for women on campus.

“I thought this was an amazing community where they help uplift minorities here on campus and sort of teach them how to be a professional while also telling them that you belong here,” Barua said.

The evening concluded with a high-energy dance performance by Tropical Ecstasy, featuring choreography set to a mix of Afrobeats songs that brought the program to an energetic close. Members of the PULSE E-Board were then introduced before closing remarks.

“I hope they walk out of this more educated on some of the issues facing women, more educated on climate change and just feel more connected to some of the women on this campus,” Garcia said. “I feel like sometimes there’s a disconnect where even so, they’re not elevated as much. So I just really want to empower all women and I want the people walking away from this to feel empowered as well.”