BARRY AFTER DARK
- Kymani Phillips
- Nov 11, 2025
- 3 min read
By Kymani Phillips
When class ends and campus lights flicker on like scattered stars, Barry University becomes a patchwork of private nights. The same students you see on the benches at noon, sleepy-eyed, carrying iced coffee from Dunkin, or with their earbuds in, all transform by sunset. From friends who enjoy late study dates, others who have work off campus, and a few who treat the evening as a second life, Barry students live by their own rhythm after dark.
For Casey Simpson, a sophomore and finance major, her nights start at the gym and conclude by the glow of a laptop or the smile of a friend's laughter.
"My typical night is going to the gym, doing assignments, socializing with friends, and sometimes just walking around campus," she said.
Simpson serves in roles that keep her evening going even longer. She's the public relations officer for Barry's Caribbean Student Association (CSA) — the one who gets the word out, takes pictures and is a voice for her peers on campus. She is also a partner in Barry Management Consulting and works at the Center for Academic Success and Advising (CASA), where she helps other students work toward their goals.
"I just plan out my time well, get my work done ahead of time, and make sure social time doesn't interfere with studying," she said. Still, she conceded, even the
most planned nights experience quiet crashes, those moments when exhaustion outweighs ambition.
If it were up to her, she’d create a campus that better matches student rhythm: a library open 24/7, a late-night food spot that’s still serving at 2 a.m.
“A good night,” she said, “is spending it with my friends and just relaxing.”
If Simpson’s evening is a schedule made with absolute structure, Jacari Crayton, a senior and communication major, is a free-style that flows between calm and
connection.
“If I’m not working, I’m laying down on the hammocks by the pool, taking in the environment while on TikTok sometimes,” he said.
His nights are slow, but just as full as Simpson’s. He plays basketball, watches sports or Twitch, and on most nights, his dorm fills with laughter and music.
But Crayton isn't just a participant in Barry's nightlife—he's one of its architects. He is a member of the Campus Activi- ties Board (CAB), Residence Hall Association (RHA) and Transitions and Transformations (TNT) program, all organizations that
construct student life well beyond dusk.
His nights may look free-flowing with “vibes,” but they are built on hours of planning and direction.
"It's hard to balance everything," he said. "Especially with work and the clubs that I'm in. But with meditating and keeping a calendar to keep track of everything, I handle it."
For Crayton, the Miami influence is profound because "there's always a time to be had," he said.
He admitted he wants more of that rush at Barry: "We need more night activities, larger activities. There's a lot during the day, but the night needs to feel alive, too."
Together, these two students sketch the full spectrum of Barry’s nightlife —the quiet achiever and the social connector, each reflecting different truths about
what it means to grow at Barry University.
And soon, those stories will take new shape. A short film inspired by Casey Simpson and Jacari Crayton is now in production, capturing their lives as they are:
the rush between study and self-care, the glow of a phone screen by the hammocks, the stillness after a long shift, the laughter spilling from a friend’s dorm.
It’s a look at the unseen Barry, the one that breathes after dark, where students find out who they are and who they are becoming.