By Robin Tanner
Joining the BYU club Habitat for Humanities her freshman year made a big difference in Heather Pabst”s college experience.
The 22-year-old graduate student from Ventura, Calif., was drawn to a flyer hanging on the wall that promoted the club.
“Through my involvement with Habitat, I have gained a feeling of connection with the community,” she said.
Pabst said Habitat is a non-profit organization that helps families build decent and affordable homes.
She attended the first meeting, and now, four years later, Pabst serves as president of the same club.
BYU students think the campus is their world, rather the world being their campus, Pabst said.
“Habitat gave me a chance to get outside of myself and serve the community,” she said.
Shawn Richards, 21, a junior from Moscow, Idaho, majoring in zoology, spends a lot of his time on the third floor of the Wilkinson Student Center.
Richards is an executive director of campus activities for BYUSA, BYU”s student service association.
This means Richards helps plan and organize dances and activities on campus.
But Richards wasn”t always so involved.
“I wish I had gotten involved as a freshman,” he said. “It adds nice dimension to my time here on campus.”
Don Bennion, 22, a junior from Wenatchee, Wash., majoring in mathematics, agrees that involvement is the key to a successful BYU experience.
“There are so many ways to get involved and so many different clubs,” he said.
Bennion, BYUSA vice president over clubs, said there are more than 80 campus clubs.
“There really is something for everybody,” he said.
Interested students can visit the BYUSA office at 3400 WSC or attend 7 p.m. meetings Tuesday in the WSC terrace.
