UCLA hosted the annual Enormous Activities Fair on Tuesday to help students learn more about clubs and student life on campus.
Organized by UCLA Student Organizations, Leadership & Engagement, more than 500 student organizations and school departments handed out information and spoke with interested students at booths in Wilson and Dickson Plazas to encourage them to join. From colorful, bold signs to free merchandise, each table featured unique designs to showcase their organization.
During the event, club members and leaders engaged in various methods to encourage students to stop at their booths and join their organizations.
Emma Kelly, a fourth-year physiological science student and head of Hooligan Theater’s IT department, said she tried to emphasize that Hooligan’s members have a wide range of experience so anyone who wants can apply and join.
“Just being able to talk to so many people, whether they’re new freshmen, or people who just didn’t know the club exists, and new transfers … it just makes me so happy to be able to share my love for this activity with other people,” Kelly said.
For many clubs, preparation for the fair was a collaborative effort. Kelly said her club’s senior staff gathered the night before the fair to prepare a poster and establish tabling shifts, adding that everyone was encouraged to participate.
Faithyn Chukundah said the Enormous Activities Fair is an event worth revisiting and exploring every school year. Chukundah, a third-year psychobiology student, said that while she has stayed with the same clubs for the past two years, she is hoping to branch out and try new things for the next two.
“I’m not sure at this point what I’m looking for, so I can honestly feel like a first year again just trying to explore, but I just want to walk around and see what I would like to do,” she said. “I was just hoping to walk around and vibe with it.”
Many Bruins came to the fair with the goal of finding new communities. Miranda Paduano, a first-year business economics student, said she hopes joining new clubs will enhance both her academic and social life at UCLA. She added that although she felt a little overwhelmed entering the fair, she felt welcomed by all the different clubs that reached out to her.
Andrew Lyu, a first-year business economics student, said his favorite part about attending the fair was the variety of niche clubs offered.
“There’s a lot of different types of different clubs, just like in the dance category there’s seven different types of dance groups,” he said. “It’s a lot of variety in the area you just want to choose from.”
The event hosts a wide variety of clubs and organizations, but some Bruins said they are still left searching for more communities that represent all aspects of their identity.
Rebecca BeDell, a first-year psychology student, said that while she found some clubs that suited her interests, she is still searching for a club that resonates with her cultural identity.
“I found a lot of my interests, I would say – I’ve found a lot of law stuff, a guitar club, and a lot for helping people,” she said. “But for the Black community, I think it was hard to find stuff, and I’m Caribbean and I still haven’t found the club for me.”
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