No One Walked Alone at This Club Fair
"This is the first Club Fair I've attended, and I love it," said Abdul Aziz, Assistant Director of International Admissions and Enrollment, Admissions & Recruitment. "It resonates with my own experience as a freshman. The excitement of youth, learning, and exploring different interests. Everyone seems to be finding community. No one is walking around alone."
Sure enough, the sunny Quad was teeming with students, faculty, and staff on Wednesday, September 17. It was a club fair, yes, but could also have been a festival, a reunion, or even a concert. In fact, students were dancing to pop music, proudly wearing miniature flags in their hats, taking selfies with the College mascot, Rory the Tiger, and even playing chess. There were hugs, high fives, and students crowded around the scores of information tables for some 20 student clubs. Among them: Ally LGBTQ, Architecture, Coding, Mindfulness, CSTEP and a wide mix of Student Associations, including Muslim, Bangladesh, Caribbean, Indian as well as CUNY Coalition for Students with Disabilities and Black Student Union.
Something for everyone!
A few students waiting in line for delicious, authentic Latino food offered their take on the new semester:
Destiny, a criminal justice major, said, "I wasn't expecting college to be like this. QCC is so welcoming. In high school they tell you college will be strict and nobody is going to watch out for you, but here, it's the opposite of that." Destiny is interested in the Criminal Justice Club.
Nikolae, a first semester student, said he is actually a sophomore. "I transferred here from Rowan College in New Jersey after I moved to New York. I decided on QCC because my cousin came here and told me it's a good school, so I thought OK, let me try it out." Nikolae is interested in the Caribbean Club and the LGBTQ Club.
Jaydon, a criminal justice major, was quick to add that he's here at QCC for two reasons. "One, my brother goes here and two, I feel like the campus is very active and everybody here is so nice." Jaydon is interested in the Caribbean Club.
When asked about future career interests, he said, "I want to be a lawyer to give people a voice because some are wrongly convicted, and are sent to jail, often for years, not living the lives they had planned. I want to help these people."
Helping people, bringing people together, celebrating students, learning new things, and making good friends. Now that's community, a culture of care and excellence found here, every day, at Queensborough.
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