Many students walk past the Pepsi Leadership Center without thinking twice about it, unaware that inside, Fridays are more than just a celebration of the end of the week; they're being redefined. No business attire. No speeches. Just music and meaningful conversations defining what leadership looks like on campus.
“The main goal for Flash Fridays is just engagement and getting our center recognized,” Trinity Chapman, junior journalism major, told Kent State Today.
Through its Flash Fridays events, the Pepsi Leadership Center aims to increase student engagement while breaking down the misconception that the space is only for established leaders. These events are an opportunity for students to build skills and connect with peers.
Chapman and Ana Clara Neto, a senior international studies major, both serve as student leadership coordinators for the center.
Flash Fridays began in August 2025 when both Neto and Chapman joined and were designed to make the space feel more inviting while tying each activity to a leadership skill.
“We want to break this stigma of a very office-y and closed space,” Chapman said. “It’s actually an open space for students to come hang out.”
With this welcoming community, the center ensures that leadership development is accessible to all students, regardless of their background or current campus involvement.
The Feb. 20 Flash Fridays event focused on journaling and connecting with new people. Journals were provided, and supplies were set up to encourage attendees to personalize them.
Attendees received writing prompts about success and leadership to spark conversation and reflection. As attendees wrote in and decorated their journals, quiet music played as they connected with others at their tables, sharing responses and ideas.
First-year nursing major, Keira Orosz, attended Flash Fridays after seeing it promoted on Instagram by the center and the university’s student involvement accounts.
“I always like journaling,” Orosz said. “I don’t really have a journal, so I thought, ‘oh this would be a fun thing to attend.’”
The event’s timing before her class also made it convenient, and though it was her first time attending, she said she would return for future events.
Attendance has picked up with coordinators recognizing familiar returning faces at events. Students can also submit suggestions for future workshops, helping shape programming based on their interests.
Nicole Moser, a senior human development and family science major, attends the programs regularly. Moser initially started coming to strengthen her leadership skills.
“I knew that I needed to surround myself with more like-minded people and learn from them,” Moser said. “I thought this was a great opportunity.”
Moser continues to return because of the environment and the takeaways.
“The people are wonderful, they are so kind and so helpful,” Moser said. “I’m always picking a new skill up.”
The Center for Student Involvement oversees the Pepsi Leadership Center, which offers workshops, a guest-speaker event called Leader’s Lunch Club and a fellowship-style program called Flash Fellows. Each initiative is aimed at helping students build leadership skills, whether or not they hold formal leadership positions.
Looking ahead, the coordinators hope to expand attendance and visibility. They are working on updating the center’s website and planning promotional photo shoots to better showcase the space as both a study area and a hub for engagement.
There are two more Flash Fridays this semester, held on March 20, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., and April 3, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Pepsi Leadership Center on the second floor of the Student Center.