Roadrunners Celebrate Educational Successes, Club Rush at Annual Spring Fest

Publish Date: March 7, 2023

“I want that social aspect because I feel that’s the only thing that I’m missing from my college experience.“

When it comes to making new friends on campus, joining a club is one of the best ways to get involved and start making connections. That was Isabella Hicks’ goal on Tuesday, March 7, during Crafton Hills College’s annual Spring Fest celebration, an event that looks to give Roadrunners a break from their studies and introduce them to ways to become more involved in campus life.

Hicks, along with friend and fellow biology major Anissa Oliva, went from table to table to see what piqued her interest. “I’ve tried to join clubs before, but they have never worked out,” said the 19-year-old Highland resident. “But I want that social aspect because I feel that’s the only thing that I’m missing from my college experience.”

Students like Hicks and Oliva had plenty to choose from, including creative writing, basketball, theater and the recently launched Fashion Club, which displayed bountiful student projects and fashion magazines that even Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw would envy.

Meeting the first Monday of each month, Fashion Club helps its members create long-lasting connections and encourages them to let their creativity shine in a safe space, explained advisor Soutsakhone Xayaphanthong, a Crafton counselor. “I think the facility and administration have already been really supportive in allowing our students to be creative,” she said. “And we all know that when our students feel connected to their campus, they are more likely to stay [here], complete their courses and succeed.”

As a bonus, Xayaphanthong added, club members have opportunities to earn scholarships if they plan to transfer to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.

Elsewhere during the event, Annalyse Yglesias was helping to usher in people to the American Sign Language booth with a friendly smile and bright hello. There, students – and faculty – were able to talk with members and walk away with a brochure filled with information about the group and ways to connect after Spring Fest hours.

For Yglesias, learning sign language helps her feel connected to the deaf community, and allows for her to learn a foreign language outside of the more known language offerings available to students, such as Spanish and French. Learning sign, she continued, “is just a great way to socialize and be more integrated in the community that I wasn’t originally a part of. Learning more about ASL and deaf culture and what it is all really about from a deaf person’s perspective, as a hearing person, I feel has been such a great experience.”

Students in booths across the quad shared the importance of feeling connected as the basis for joining clubs at CHC. Many of the students expressed the importance of social support while at the same time having the opportunity to grow and learn in a safe, inclusive, nonjudgmental environment through their involvement with student organizations.

In addition to club rush and the New Orleans/Mardi Gras-like vibes, students who completed 30-plus units this year received a special celebratory gift of a commemorative pin, from Crafton officials. Food trucks, cotton candy and popcorn machines, a beignets station, and a live DJ spinning the latest and greatest were also event highlights.

There are currently 17 active chartered clubs at Crafton Hills College. To learn more about campus life at Crafton Hills College, visit Student Life.