“I came for a black coffee (somehow got a fig honey matcha latte), stayed for the energy, and left wishing every fundraiser felt this effortless.”— Baara Abu Ghalyoun (Student of Biology)
A pop-up home café nestled in a small university apartment, Café 504 radiated a warmth that came not just from the coffee, but from the people who poured it, even as they handed you a cup of cold matcha that somehow felt just as comforting.
Run by roommates with origins spanning Palestine, Ethiopia, Syria, and Turkiye, Café 504 was more than a one-day pop-up at 10 a.m. It was a space where friendship and culture intertwined in every pour. Between laughter, the soft crinkle of plastic cups, and the gentle hiss of the milk frother, you felt something rare: roots connecting to roots, lives weaving together, and a sense of belonging that reached far beyond the walls of Apartment 504. When asked about what motivations drove the desire to organize such a homely space, one of the roommates and a Mechanical Engineering student Sezen Musa shared, “Our vision was to create a welcoming third space for friends to connect with people outside their social circles and to share a slice of our home through café-style beverages.”
Every cup sold–from a simple vanilla latte to the crowd-favorite fig honey matcha–poured into something greater. The proceeds supported humanitarian aid, but what lingered wasn’t just the purpose; it was the feeling of comfort, sitting on their pink couch, sipping on matcha latte, surrounded by the warmth of walls adorned with cultural decor that told stories of home. At Café 504, every sip carried a sense of care and community, a quiet reminder that hope doesn’t always arrive in grand gestures–sometimes it’s passed gently, hand to hand, through the simple act of sharing a drink between friends.
Between pours and conversations, I asked those who attended how they felt about the cafe and they shared:
“It was the first time since the encampment that I really felt community again, people coming together for the greater good and for each other. It reminded me that helping others doesn’t have to be big or heavy; it’s about how we show up.”— Sarah Khan (Student of Human Biology and Society with minors in African American Studies and Global Health)
“When I walked in, I was met with smiles and laughter; a reminder of the comfort and blessings we’re so privileged to have. I was surrounded by people who’ve shared moments of struggle and tensions on campus, yet we continue to lean on one another. Café 504 gave us the opportunity to give back—to extend that same sense of hope and care to communities just as we’ve been blessed to do.”— Hanan Ahmad (Student of Civil Engineering)