How Joining Clubs Can Impact Student Success
CSUN hosts its Meet The Clubs Event every second week of each semester to get students to join them and get the whole college student experience.
Every fall and spring semester, new incoming students attend CSUN to get the college degree that may help them find a job in their desired profession. Most students are enrolled in the university as full-time college students and have other responsibilities outside that keep them away from student involvement. Joining a club on campus can benefit students by helping them develop skills and gain more knowledge about their major. If you scroll down, there are stories about student club experiences and videos about joining different clubs.
Emily Rivas is an undergrad at CSUN majoring in journalism (Public Relations). Although Emily is not part of any clubs, she gave tips on why she would consider joining clubs. If Emily had time off between work and school, she would consider being part of the CSUN Latino Journalists. Her goal would be to get out of her comfort zone and start networking with other students in that community. When Emily hears from her friends who are part of clubs on campus, she feels like she is missing out on an opportunity to gain more knowledge about her desired field. Emily said, “When I’m done with school next year, I’ll probably start regretting not joining any clubs.”
Aliyah Hinckley is a Journalism Major (General), and she is also the president of the Asian American Journalist Association (AAJA), and part of the Society of Professional Journalists Club (SPJ), and winner of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Scholarship. Ever since Aliyah joined SPJ, she has been picking the brains of Solomon Smith, who is the president of SPJ and is well-known for his outstanding photography. Aliyah decided to join these clubs to improve her skills in how to use Lightroom, crop photos, and be more open to taking pictures of different things. Aliyah is also working on improving her skills in leadership and responsibility as she is president of AAJA and seeks help from other journalism students in similar leadership roles in different club organizations. Aliyah, when pitching to students who are thinking about joining clubs said, “Just go for it and learn new skills like a leader would. Be confident in being a good communicator.
Kaley Block is a double major in Asian American Studies and Journalism (Public Relations). She is a part of multiple clubs, including PRSSA, Tri Delta, and AAJA. Kaley is learning personal growth and networking with other students with the same career interests. PRSSA has resources that help Kaley be a successful student by receiving help on her class assignments and other tasks and already having established a familiarity with other students who were already part of her classes. The skills Kaley has developed are interacting with people, dealing with conflict, time management, and organization. She has applied all these skills throughout her time at CSUN and her daily routine that helps her stay organized. When Kaley was a new student at CSUN, she attended the new student orientation, and the orientation leader said to the newcomers, “CSUN is what you make it. You can end up loving it here if you just try.” Kaley is in her fourth year at CSUN and on the verge of getting her degree. Kaley stated, “I love CSUN. I had the greatest college experience ever.”
Melisa Valenzuela is a junior at CSUN, and she is studying broadcast journalism and is part of CSUN RTDNA (Radio Television Digital News Association). Melisa joined RTDNA to learn more about her career path and develop her communication and editing skills. Melisa sees a lot of improvement in her journalistic skills with every club and class and notices her progress throughout each semester dating back to East Los Angeles College just this past spring. She is picking the brain of the president of RTDNA, Jessie Abarques, to improve her craft as a journalist and learn how to use the university’s resources. Melisa said, “Joining a club is super beneficial you get to network with other students and get extra help.”
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Rina Tomita is a recent transfer student majoring in psychology and is part of the Multicultural Psychology Association (MPA) and CSUN Psi Chi. Rina wants to be involved as much as she can because she only has two years to enjoy CSUN and the opportunities that come with it. Rina wants to continue expanding her knowledge in psychology through clubs and improving her communication skills. Rina said, “When you get more involved in school, you really feel like a student here. It’s really fun and helps reduce stress.”
Alexis Pierre is in her 2nd year at CSUN and studying to get her major in biology. She is part of the Women In Science Club and Environmental Club. Alexis’s major played a role in what club she chose to be a part of and being part of the environmental club because it teaches her how to be sustainable and she receives guidance in Women in Science.
Joining clubs is a great way to start networking with students who are on the same career path and get to interact with professionals who have established themselves in the industry the student is interested in. There are a lot of benefits to joining student clubs, including help with homework, career interests, or creating memories with new friends. College is where people find out the type of person they are, for instance, their work ethic and how they interact with other students. No matter what club students become a part of, all of them build community, and picking the right club will make it a great college experience for the student.
Here are some of the most popular clubs on campus to join:
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