Just the other day, I attended USA’s (United Sikh Association) second General Interest Meeting. Founded in order to support other Punjabi Indian students, the club was restarted under new leadership and expanded exponentially. Originally, I did not plan on joining this club but after a friend convinced me, I was quite content to have attended. Upon arrival, it was hard to find a place to sit. Despite how crowded it was, the President himself came to me and introduced himself, and gave a brief overview of the club’s goals and initiatives. After they introduced the members of the board, they had games ready that would involve the entire room. One of the games, like an ice breaker, required us to give an answer that would sum up our first weeks at Baruch. This game allowed us to be more open and social with the people around us by making us work together.At the end, they served food such as fried Indian snacks and brownies. During this time we were able to interact with other South Asian students that are also interested in this club. It allowed me to meet many different people that were also freshman. I learned about where they came from, what they planned on majoring in, and how they felt about Baruch. The gathering was a time to have fun and socialize with others, and get to develop connections with the upperclassmen. Being given a tremendously long break in between classes for clubs gives me an opportunity that I would otherwise not have had. I guess since we’re not NYU or Columbia, we might have some space issues, however, the vibe of the clubs here surpasses those at the other top-tier schools, but in the end, the school is as energetic, and as great, as the people.
