On September 7th, last Thursday, I attended UCLA’s second General Interest Meeting. UCLA, which stands for United Chinese Language Association, was a club founded to promote and increase our understanding for the Chinese culture. Originally, I did not plan on joining this club but after a friend convinced me, I was glad I attended.
When I first arrived at the room there were already a lot of people inside. Despite how crowded it was, a member of the club still came up to me to have a conversation and asked if I had any questions and tried to learn more about me. He made me feel welcome in the community that they built.
After they introduced the members of the board, they had games ready that would involve the entire room. One of the games, Google Feud, required us to give an answer that would be the top 10 searches on Google within a category. This game allowed us to be more open and social with the people around us by making us work together. It made us feel like we were friends that gathered together to have fun.
At the end, they served food such as chicken fried rice and lo mein. During this time we were able to interact with others 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 UCLA Meeting was a time to have fun and socialize with others. Being given a two hour break in between classes for clubs gave me an opportunity that I would otherwise not have had. Instead of attending clubs, I would have been a commuter that just came to school for classes and then leave. Joining a club will allow me to be more social and become a part of a community.
Nickie, it seems like UCLA is a wonderful organization to be a part of. It’s wonderful that you enjoyed yourself, especially since you initially did not want to attend.