BYUSA’s “Involvapalooza” showcase promotes 80 different clubs on campus and takes place Jan. 15 and 16 in the Wilkinson Student Center.
This event has grown in attendance each semester over the last three years and has focused on serving more students. “The goal,” said Zach Pinter, BYUSA vice president of Communications, “is to get as many students aware and involved in opportunities that matched them the best.”
Clubs range from academic to multicultural, and service organizations get involved as well. BYU offers students more than 300 clubs total, from paintball to chess and everything in between.
“When you come to BYU you hear that you are going to be a little fish in a huge pond,” said Aubree Monson, BYUSA executive director of Involvement. “It’s a little intimidating, and it’s a little scary, but we have so many different clubs here on campus that can help students contribute to something bigger and better than themselves.”
Monson said getting involved can lead to overall self-improvement. “Being involved can help them see fulfillment and achievement in what they are doing and helps them become a better, well-rounded person,” Monson said.
For BYU senior Chalese Adams, being involved in campus activities since freshman year has deepened her educational experience. Adams recalled the challenge of coming to BYU after being active in high school organizations.
“BYU is a hard academic school to be in, and if you are not involved in anything else you get bogged down,” she said. “When you are involved in things, it gives you an outlet. You can take a break from schoolwork but still do things related to BYU.”
Adams is in her last year of school and participates in the BYU Therapeutic Recreation Club. She is also vice president of the Student Nursing Association. Adams told students looking to get involved to “find something you love. Do something you are interested in, or it just becomes another task.”
Student Zach Pinter shared his experience with getting involved at BYU. Before his mission, Zach said he went to classes and had a couple of friends from the dorms but didn’t feel attached or committed to BYU. After his mission, he made a goal to get involved in every possible way and joined several different clubs.
“That is when I started to become invested in the campus,” he said. Pinter felt being involved outside of school helped him learn, develop and acquire skills that can’t be learned from a textbook.
Monson said students feel much more invested in BYU once involved in activities and organizations. “There are a lot more things you can learn here, especially at BYU, which gives you so many opportunities … there is so much more to school than the academic part.”
The purpose of Involvapalooza is to get students involved. One hundred twenty clubs attended the event in 2014. Nearly 2,000 students explored, visited and spoke with different booths, and 700 students signed up to be involved on campus.
Students can find a club that fits them at clubs.byu.edu/home.
