Gallery | 2 Photos

Jana Malek

Fashion Institute of Technology fashion club president and senior Kori Martinez and vice president and senior Paola Morales interact with passing students to promote their club. Sponsored by FIDM, the clubs purpose is to get people into fashion and teach the basics of sewing, according to Martinez.

The annual club Kick-off took place on Sept. 21 and 23. Clubs took the opportunity to gain new members and showcase the passions of the current members. 

Each club was assigned a table according to its club category: academics, interest/sports, cultural/VAPA or community service, according to ASB co-adviser Emily Sheridan.

“Clubs are a celebration of different students’ interests and passions on campus,” Sheridan said. “And their Club Kick-Off is so cool to me because it’s this manifestation of all these dreams and hopes and interests of everybody on campus.” 

Club Kick-Off is a way for students to pursue their passions inside and outside of the classroom. They are also a great way to meet new people that share common interests, like in academia, STEM or VAPA. ASB organized Club Kick-Off as a two-day event to give students an opportunity to lear about all of the clubs. 

On top of gaining new members and advertising, the CHOC club’s primary goal with this year’s Club Kick-Off was to encourage new students to participate in community service, according to CHOC club co-president and senior Juel Wettstein.

¨Our biggest priority is just getting as many people to join the club as we can and just advertising it as best as we can,” Wettstein said. ¨Just staying true to what we’re about, and just really encouraging people to get into service more and to do it for the enjoyment, but not necessarily just to get the service hours.”

For IUSD and Portola’s first black student union, Club Kick-Off was an opportunity to spread their cause, creating a safe school environment and addressing important racial issues in the community, according to adviser Katie Wi.

“Portola’s mission is to be a space where all students feel like they belong,” Wi said. “And so, what this club does is specifically create a space to talk about issues that affect our black student population. ” 

As the student body grows, so do the interests on campus, resulting in more diverse clubs on campus, according to Sheridan.

“The fact that we have so many clubs is a point of pride because it shows the initiative that our students take,” Sheridan said. “It shows the diversity of our student body. It also shows the collaborative nature of a lot of people on our campus, that they’re willing to come together and work together for a common cause or interest.”