As classrooms grow quieter and students prepare to head home for Thanksgiving, one classroom fills with conversation, laughter and the aromas of roasted turkey, cardamom and curry.
For the past several years, Steven Osburn, an associate teaching professor of computer science and engineering in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, has hosted an annual Thanksgiving dinner for students who stay local during the holiday. Whether the attendees are far from home or unfamiliar with the holiday, anyone and everyone is welcome to attend.
“It started when everything was shut down — restaurants, dining halls, stores — and I didn’t want students to go hungry or feel left out,” Osburn recalls. “So, I made dinner, opened up the classroom and told everyone I could find, ‘If you’re hungry, there’s food here. Bring your friends.’”
What began as an impromptu decision with approximately 40 students has become a cherished tradition with more than 150 students and faculty members.
Blending communities and traditions
Osburn still handles most of the cooking himself, preparing traditional dishes like turkey, stuffing and vegetarian sides, but he encourages guests to bring something from home to share.
“Students bring their favorite meals and desserts,” he says. “Some of the foods look unfamiliar to me — and I’m sure my cooking looks unfamiliar to them — but we all try each other’s dishes out of respect. Most of the time, they’re amazing, and it’s this wonderful cultural exchange through food.”
Beyond the meal itself, Osburn’s Thanksgiving dinner is an opportunity to unwind and spend the holiday weekend together, whether they’re curious about Thanksgiving traditions or just excited to have good food and a fun night with friends.
“Students tell me they don’t usually get a chance to just sit down, meet new people and enjoy themselves,” Osburn says. “They say that feeling of being surrounded by friends and family feels like being home again.”
The evening also includes board games and casual conversations, giving students a chance to swap stories about their families, cultures and reasons for studying at ASU.
Jayesh Nagpal, a computer science graduate student who attended the 2025 Thanksgiving dinner, says the event captured the essence of the holidays.
“Many students do not get to visit their families during these holidays,” Nagpal says. “Such events provide them with an opportunity to celebrate, spend time with friends and meet new people. They get to enjoy each other’s company and be grateful for the support that these friends provide and the memories we get to make with them.”
Tirupalavanam Ganesh, an associate dean of student success and outreach at the Fulton Schools who has supported the event since its early days, says the result is community building in action.
“Gatherings and celebrations such as this create opportunities for students, faculty and staff to form relationships outside of the classroom and develop a sense of belonging towards the Fulton Schools of Engineering and ASU,” Ganesh says. “I hope students will take away from this experience that this is a place where you can belong, even if your home is far away.”
Sharing more than side dishes
Over the years, others have joined in to support the event. Members of the advising department now help serve food and welcome guests, and faculty members have contributed funds or supplies to ensure everyone has enough to eat.
Alicia Somsen, a senior academic success advisor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, hopes students feel more connected to the university, U.S. culture and each other when they leave the Thanksgiving gathering.
“Most domestic students leave campus for the long weekend, but not all have that option and are stuck on campus for several days without classes and most of their peers,” Somsen says. “Our international students are the largest population of students who cannot travel home for the holiday break. The Thanksgiving celebration gives students a chance to come together and share fellowship while enjoying an incredible home-cooked meal.”
Though Osburn doesn’t ask for help, he says the growing faculty involvement shows how deeply the event’s spirit resonates.
“The Fulton Schools and ASU value inclusive excellence,” he says. “This dinner is a reflection of that and our commitment to making everyone feel like they belong here.”
Students often tell him they look forward to the next year’s event, sometimes stopping him in the hallway months in advance to ask when the invitations will go out. For Osburn, the motivation behind the tradition is simultaneously simple and deeply personal.
“I always tell my family, you lead by example,” he says. “You don’t ask people to do the right thing — you just do it. What I hope students take away isn’t that Steven made dinner. It’s that Steven cared enough to make sure people were taken care of. Maybe that inspires them to do the same someday.”
Looking ahead, Osburn hopes the tradition will continue long after he retires, perhaps even expanding beyond engineering to include the broader university community.
“My dream would be to one day fill the Student Union,” he says. “Imagine hundreds of students from all over the world, all sharing a meal. That’s what ASU is all about.”
Until then, each Thanksgiving, Osburn will keep showing up, apron on and turkey roasting, to make sure every student who needs a seat at the table finds one.
