Yes Join Clubs
First of all, you find people with common interests, and it makes it a lot easier to make friends that way. Plus once you find people with similar interests you can hang out with them as well. I will be talking about how to join clubs, balancing school work, and what clubs I joined.
Joining Clubs
Specifically for the University of Iowa, there is a website that has all the student organizations and their events going on that day or week you look at it. Once you get accepted you have the chance to create a club if you don’t see a club that interests you. On this site, you can search for organizations and select branches of what you want to do. That’s how I found the majority of my clubs. I just typed in a bunch of categories and branches and found clubs I was interested in.
My Clubs
Dance Marathon
First of all, this is a great organization to join, and no matter what school you go to, sign up for Dance Marathon. Let’s explain what exactly Dance Marathon is. This is the largest student organization on campus at the University. We provide financial and emotional support for pediatric cancer patients of the Stead Family Children’s Hospital. We are a year-long commitment consisting of family events for kids to be kids, and dancer events for individuals to build connections within the organization. Plus with fundraising, we can eliminate some of the financial burdens that come with a pediatric cancer diagnosis.
The organization itself has had record-breaking years and has raised over $34 million for the kids and their families battling cancer. This is such a great organization and I suggest that you join it. I’m a part of Miracle Group 11 with my friend Lauren as well. They were the ones that convinced me to join Dance Marathon. Plus at the end of the year, they host the Big Event where members are encouraged to not sit, sleep, or consume caffeine for 24 hours to celebrate the kids who beat cancer and support those who are still battling and remember those who have passed and are now dancing in our hearts.
If you go to the website and donate look up Sam Smith to donate to my fund for the kids and families. My goal is to raise $500 and I’m already at $125. Even if you can’t donate a lot, even a little bit will go a long way to help out these families and the kids fighting the biggest battle of their lives. This year is the 29th year of the UI Dance Marathon and the goal for this year is to ignite the light, passion, and drive individuals have so we and they can continue our tradition of helping these kids. Out of all my clubs, this one is my favorite, because I’m committed to making life better for these kids fighting for their lives and if other members and I can make a difference in their financial situation then that is the greatest gift I can give to the kids.
Dance Club
Next up is Dance Club. This is a casual dance club. Now I danced for 13 years at my hometown dance studio. Dance was pretty much the only consistent sport I stayed in ever since I was about 5 years old. It was the only thing I was really good at and I felt happy doing it. It also gives the members the feeling of dancing at a studio. That’s why I was drawn to this club. For this semester they have classes running from Sunday to Wednesday. I mostly attend the Tuesday classes over at Field House on West Side.
At the end of the year, they have a benefit show to showcase its members. Plus it donates the proceeds to Dance Without Limits, a nonprofit organization that provides dance classes to children and young adults with disabilities, and the DEA Youth Dance Program. I also try to make it to Sunday classes on the weekends I stay on campus. My favorite style is Contemporary and Jazz. I’m planning on taking a Jazz Class next semester as an elective to develop my jazz skills. Fingers crossed that I get in. I don’t know if I will be a part of the benefit show this year but fingers crossed I do it next year.
Hawkeye Sunset Club
Another club of mine is the Sunset Club. It’s exactly how it sounds and it’s amazing. I haven’t been able to make it to any meetings in a while but this club is about a time when students can socialize, listen to music, and be in the moment with the sunset. They also do a rating of the sunset from 1 to 10. It’s just a time to sit and enjoy nature with some students who also love the outdoors and the sunset.
Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness
This is a club I only recently joined in the last week or so. The purpose of this club is to encourage a positive, sustainable lifestyle through body image and eating disorders awareness on campus and local resource identification. This organization carries out an annual week of awareness activities with National Eating Disorder Awareness week. They work to include events that appeal to all groups of people because of eating disorders and help those that are struggling to identify to receive help. It’s a great organization and it’s great for me as someone who has had body image issues during her life. Plus having friends who struggle with eating disorders is a great way to raise awareness about these issues.
Closing Thoughts
The whole point of sharing this experience is to tell you to join clubs in college. Whether that’s joining a fraternity, writers club, club sports, or others, clubs will help you make something of yourself. I know that in my clubs I feel like I belong, and it feels like family. There is a club for everything at the university and trust me when I say that you will find your people and a sense of community. Thank you again, for taking time out of your busy day to read my blog. I hope you all have a good day, week, month, and year.
