Club members seize the opportunity to showcase the unique aspects of being a part of their organization, highlight the importance of community, and share exciting upcoming events at this semester’s Join a Club Day.
Club day was hosted in the packed E Building Lounge for students to explore the different organizations as clubs handed out free stickers and fliers.
Long Beach City College provided pizza and banana bread for students who filled out a stamp sheet indicating they talked to 15 clubs.
The History and Political Science Student Association was one of the clubs present, and they discussed the stigma surrounding political science.
This club aims to educate individuals on the overall significance of history and political science.
“We are more than a bunch of white dudes in powdered wigs yelling at each other,” said club secretary Libby Hernandez.
“It’s about community more than anything. I think everyone in these clubs can say the same thing. It’s about finding those who are passionate about the same things that you are passionate about,” De Leon said.
As for future events, the group has been trying to get Rep. Robert Garcia on campus for a Q&A with students.
The Criminal Justice Association was showing off the several awards they won at competitions by competing in their organization’s meets.
The group is part of a national chapter that allows them to travel, compete, do volunteer work, and host social events.
In a month, the group will compete in Texas at the National Conference of the Criminal Justice Association
“I also like how outside the club we have activities to keep ourselves connected with each other. We have movie nights, game nights, and other things to maintain friendships outside of the group,” Venegas said.
“When I first joined I wasn’t really sure about it. I wanted to get into law enforcement and they told me it was a good way to network and meet people in the field. That one right there, the short one [club president Matthew Stone], was the first one I met. He kind of opened the door for me I was a wallflower at first but now I just don’t shut up,” said ICC Rep. Nelson Lewanoski.
For most of these clubs, the sense of community, comradery, and friendship is what drives them; it starts with bonding over shared interests but evolves into more than that.
Siembra, a club that helps Latinx students connect with their community and host events in relation to Latin American cultures.
“We create events that bring out the culture in us. For example, we’re collabing with the UCLA Chicano Research Arts Center because we want Siembra students to get a chance to take a tour of the center. We also have one this Sunday for the Afro-Latinx festival in the MOLAA,” said club president Jessica Zagal.
During the event, the group sold tamales to raise money for the club and their outings.
Sage Scholars, a group dedicated to creating a space of acceptance for Black students and helping them thrive and excel.
They believe a critical factor in improving achievement and performance is for students to have a sense of belonging and support.
They want to keep them aware of the resources available on this campus and help people learn more about their African roots.
French Club, a club that celebrates all things French culture but also opens its doors to students in the other world languages offered at LBCC.
“The best aspect of this club is seeing the excitement and enthusiasm people show toward the French language, culture, and history,” said club representative Michelle Pappas.
In March, the club plans a field trip to the Getty Center in Santa Monica and a seminar with the head of the Department of Languages from California State University in April.
In May, the group will collaborate with the culinary arts students and be taught how to make Madeleine cookies from scratch.
“We are working on getting students who are committed to taking French 1 and 2 financial support to buy their textbooks. We want to contribute to the well-being of students,” said Pappas.
The film club is dedicated to viewing and discussing films with this semester emphasizing Black cinema, showing films like Malcolm X, Moonlight, and Bamboozled.
“I’m looking forward to hosting more events; we haven’t had the chance to have very many workshops,” said club president Roxy Kupper-Wilson.
The club would like to start hosting more workshops based around the creation of films and teaching people about screenwriting, production, and cinematography.
“I’m excited to get into production and create a team that wants to make projects with us,” said club VP Daniella Steedle.
The Fashion Club aims to serve as a networking hub for students interested in fashion.
The club invites speakers in the fashion industry to talk to students about how they got to where they are.
During the previous semester, fashion designers, stylists, and lawyers specializing in copyright and branding were invited to speak.
On May. 25, the Fashion club will participate in a fashion show that has been in preparation for years, featuring six years’ worth of accumulated garments
“The last fashion show was supposed to happen in 2020 but because of COVID-19 it was canceled,” said Club president Maria Moreira.
The Wo/men+ in IT is a technology-based club open to all majors that incorporates members’ suggestions into its projects.
The club is open to doing podcasting, video game design, making websites from the ground up, coding drones, and much more.
“We are an inclusive club, it doesn’t matter what major you are, we will try to find a place for you,” said club vice president Emily Martinez.
PNK, a women’s social service club that focuses on building a strong sisterhood within the group and giving back to the community.
The group organizes study sessions, volunteers, participates in school events, and hosts bonding activities to foster camaraderie
“We also do fundraisers not only for the club but for women’s issues during the whole month of October we fundraise and donate for breast cancer awareness,” said club social director Jazmine Montes.
“One of our big accomplishments is bringing our shy members out of their shells helping them do things they never thought they could,” said Montes.
“My favorite aspect about being part of this club is the friendships. I’ve seen our alumni being each other’s bridesmaids at weddings so the friends you make here will become friends for life,” said Montes.
Most of these clubs can be found on Instagram or the Viking Engagement website if students are interested. Most are open throughout the semester, so it’s never too late to join.