hen I sat down to talk to Steven Giraldo ’26, one of the biggest Harvard holidays was approaching: the Harvard-Yale Game. Steven had a clear action plan that after a Friday night out in New Haven with friends, he would set his alarm for 8 a.m. and get right back to business. That is, back to partying.

For Steven, Harvard-Yale is less about the game and more about the tailgate. The last time the Game was played in New Haven, he entered the stadium for only the last 10 minutes. The tailgate was “just a lot more fun,” he says.

As for what makes for a fun time, Steven’s recipe is quite simple: “Just energy. You have to be able to tap in. You have to be excited to see people and genuinely socialize with them.” Energy seems to trump all as an attendee, but he says there are a few material requirements of a good host — good music, a great speaker, and delicious drinks.

“Do not give me a cranberry with vodka warm. That’s horrible,” Steven jokes. A drink aficionado, his main contribution to the dorm decor is a full-to-the-brim gilded bar cart. An enormous JBL Boombox 3 in black charges nearby, lying in wait for the weekend.

Outside of being a legendary energy-having host, Steven is also an omnivorous music-lover. “You name it, I probably listen to it. And I feel like that’s one of the things about being the life of the party — no matter what the music is, what the emotion is, you’re gonna have fun.”

Steven’s music preferences for a night out run the gamut of genres; he is more than willing to be the first on the dance floor for the Cotton-Eyed-Joe, dive into New York’s techno scene, and return to his Miami roots with Pitbull.

“Miami is very much a big party culture, so that definitely came with me when I moved to Harvard,” Steven shares. It was one of his main concerns when it came to choosing the school. As a campus tour guide, Steven often comments on how coming to Harvard changed his mentality when it came to socializing and partying.

“When I came to Harvard, and I started going to Mather JCR, going to Cabot Aquarium, at first I was like, ‘What is this? I’m not used to this,’” Steven says.

Steven notes that the Miami party scene is incredibly different from Harvard. “But at the same time, I met so many people that just brought the same energy that I was bringing, and it made the party so much more exciting. It really is not about the place, but rather about the energy that everyone’s bringing,” Steven says.

A true globe-trotter, Steven brings his energy everywhere from India to Brazil. As a member of Harvard’s International Relations Council (IRC), he has organized and competed in Model UN conferences across the world.

“Anything that offers me travel, I’ll join it,” Steven says. To connect with party-goers worldwide, he prioritizes dancing and music, especially. He tells us that “music has no language.”

Back home at Harvard, Steven’s common room is absolutely covered in Christmas decorations, with red-bowed garlands swinging from corner to corner. The wooden Claverly fireplace, strewn with lights, is also particularly conducive to the holiday spirit. It is undeniably cozy, and I have a hard time picturing the legendary pre-games and parties of yesteryear.

Yet, the debauchery of parties past still haunts the room. As we speak, Steven’s friends shuffle in and out of the suite, picking up Harvard-Yale merchandise and pausing to chat. His friend Ellie M. Chen ’28 enters and is immediately reminded of Steven’s last big party; she roams the room in awe, before saying “Wait, sorry, I’m like, totally getting flashbacks.”

As I clarify — perhaps too deeply into a conversation about twister, a yoga station, and the state of the common room after Steven’s party — that Steven has been chosen as the “Life of the Party” for the Class of 2026, his guests are unsurprised.

“Of course he won Life of the Party!” someone exclaims.

— Associate Magazine Editor Rose C. Giroux can be reached at [email protected].