I was given the excellent opportunity to attend this year’s Involvement Fair for the spring semester, and what a turnout! The Involvement Fair showcases the many clubs, organizations, and other extracurriculars available through the College of Staten Island. With so much to do and so many booths to check out, I pulled aside a couple of attendees to get an idea of what our students are most interested in. The first student I spoke to said, “The Filipino Society. They have a really nice booth. They’re also giving out some snacks as well.”

I was sold on the premise of trying novel food, and the club members were encouraging despite my awkwardness due to not being from the Philippines myself. I wholeheartedly agree with their sentiment and encourage everyone to learn about countries and cultures other than our own.

I then ran into Gabriel, a friend of mine I met back in high school. “I’m definitely looking at WSIA because I’ve always loved publications and journalism. I also think the Hiking Club’s pretty cool because I know my friends love it.” 

The next student I interviewed shared similar opinions to both Gabriel and me. When asked what clubs caught his interest, student Alec said, “The tables that caught my interest would be the Finance and Economics Club, also the Hiking Club seemed very interesting. Next semester I’d really like to get involved in the radio. The Muslim club was interesting, I’m not Muslim but the gentleman had a lot of interesting takes on the Koran. I wish I had more time for all these clubs to be honest with you.”  Likewise, Alec.

I then ran into Aislynn, an old coworker of mine. When I asked her what booth she was interested in, she said, “Definitely the LGBTQ resource center. I like how it’s very inclusive, it’s a safe space for the LGBTQ community.”

As a member of the LGBTQ community myself, I had checked out their booth and felt extremely welcomed by them, and not just because of the adorable pins and bookmarks they were giving out. I’m eternally grateful to have support for marginalized communities like mine right here at my college.

Finally, I caught up with Alyssa and Kate by the snack table. Alyssa said, “I liked the Intramurals and Athletic Center booth. My bowling coordinator did it. He has the raffle where you can win free Amazon gift cards so it was nice.”

Kate said, “I agree with that. I like how they had the Plinko board. I think it was a fun interactive thing.”

I’m no saleswoman myself, but anything to grab the audience’s attention is sure to be a great idea. Be it snacks or other freebies, every club at this year’s Involvement Fair pulled out all the stops. 

Did any of these clubs catch your interest? Want to learn more about any of the other dozens of extracurriculars? Check out CSI Connect for all the latest club/organization news and upcoming on campus events.

By Laura Bello