De Anza Student Government and Inter Club Council held their fall club day at the Sunken Garden on Oct. 12, giving students a place to find community and cultivate their interests.
Once every quarter, De Anza’s student-run organizations gather in a bid to recruit other students as their potential new members.
With performances from K-pop Dance Club and Music and Volunteering Association, students flooded the Sunken Garden, eager to meet new people who share common interests.
Dana Sanei, 19, electrical and computer engineering major, is ICC’s chair of programs. Sanei said club day is one of the few opportunities De Anza’s students have to connect with one another.
“As a community college, people aren’t really that connected to the campus and aren’t really involved,” Sanei said. “Club day is one of those events that really gets everyone on campus together and helps everyone get connected and find friends.”
Overall, Sanei said she is proud of how this club day turned out.
“I love that we (ICC) went all out with the decorations this quarter,” Sanei said. “I feel like we did a great job planning everything.”
Dave Feliciano, 19, computer science major, said he regularly attended previous club days. He said club day gives students an outlet to advance their academic pursuits and connect with other students who have similar interests.
“A lot of people just get to learn more stuff about themselves and about different majors,” Feliciano said. “First years get to just explore things they wouldn’t in regular classes.”
Feliciano said students at club day convinced him to switch majors. “I just saw a club that looked interesting, and they talked me into trying computer science.”
Besides students, club day helps student-run organizations build up their following and expand their club community.
Nicholas Turangan, 19, data science major and De Anza Engineering Society’s event organizer, said that this was his first club day as an officer and he is glad to experience the other side of club recruiting.
“I find it very interesting to see new people come here and to see them so interested in joining our club,” Turangan said. “I feel joy when I see that look in their faces when they say that they’re interested in joining our club.”
Turangan said club day creates a big impact on the clubs.
“I’ve talked to the officers before and they said that club day and the weeks after club day will be the most filled their clubs will ever be,” Turangan said. “Club day won’t be the one and only time to get people to join your club and to get them interested, but it is a very good time.”