The recent Club Fair showcased all that Williston has to offer outside of class.

Williston held its annual club fair on September 14. Student leaders held their stations for the clubs on the main squad from 6 p.m. to 7p.m. to share more information to both new and returning students interested in participating.

It was a great way for the students to meet new friends by engaging in similar interests and developing those further. The types of clubs varied from academic interests such as Janus, Math Club, to cultural such as the Asian Alliance Club and Community Service Club, to more hands-on experiences such as Community Service Club, Fishing Club, Investment Club, and others.

The new clubs and new people on campus are what make Williston unique every year, as we are constantly adding new ideas and energy, and students.

Sophie Chou, a senior at Williston who is the leader of the newly-established Japanese Food Club, was excited for the new faces she saw on campus.

“The thing I like the most about is to have a chance to connect with people I don’t really speak to or see on campus usually,” she said. “The club fair creates a really warm and cheerful atmosphere.”

Sophie elaborated on how the Japanese Food Club fosters diverse cultural experiences to campus by introducing traditional Japanese dishes.

“We welcomed everyone who was interested in joining us,” Sophie said. “I’m glad to see how we could help people who are unfamiliar with Japanese culture to engage in it.”

One of the major themes this year is “making connections.” A major component in achieving this is to understand people with very different stories in the past, and it helps to make Williston more inclusive.

Sophie told The Willistonian she and her peers in the club aim to provide a space to unite students, especially those who share the same cultural background.

“We also hope to be able to meet more regularly this year (e.g. once per month) for those who miss their hometown or need a space [away] from the busy day-to-day schedule,” Sophie said.

Mary Zhou, President of the Choral E-Board (Teller Chorus), enjoyed how the fair enabled communication and interaction.

“I really like the inter-table vibe, allowing students to look around according to their own interests,” she said.

Nothing is better than sharing a passion, Mary said.

“It was great to see people stopping by and just chatting,” Mary said.

Jonathan Bianchi, Associate Dean of Students, organized the Club Fair this year, and believes it’s the students who made the event so successful and meaningful.

“It was great seeing so many students on the Main Quad either working to recruit people for their clubs or looking to join a club,” Bianchi said.

Although the atmosphere was engaging and joyful, the overall organization and efficiency still could be enhanced.

Mary Zhou told The Willistonian she believed the layout of the tables could be mixed up, since certain clubs have larger groups of students.

“While the center ones got a lot of attention, the ones on the sides seem to have less,” she told. “I think it is better next time to mix up the clubs and arrange tables beforehand.”

Bianchi also believes the efficiency of the club fair could be improved next year by making clear the location of the clubs.

“Some students were unable to find the clubs they were looking for, and some of that was due to the clubs no longer being available,” he said. “I would like to next year to have a better handle on that so students don’t have that issue.”