Hundreds of booths took over UCLA’s campus for the Enormous Activities Fair on Tuesday, offering everything from origami trinkets to community service opportunities.
More than 500 student clubs and departments participate in the fair every year to advertise their organizations, according to the EAF website. All students can attend the three-hour event to pursue new interests and find new clubs to join.
“It’s a nice spot to get to know people, especially when you’re a new student,” said Dalila Labrada Soto , a second-year human biology and society student who tabled for Bruin Origami for All. “Joining clubs makes you feel like you’re a part of this.”
Gauri Arora – the president of UCLA Kalaa, a club focused on Hindustani and Carnatic music, two forms of Indian classical music – said that interacting with new students while tabling reminded her of her first EAF experience.
Arora, now a fourth-year bioengineering student, said joining Kalaa – and learning about it through the fair – ensured that her years of practice didn’t go to waste. She added that she practiced Indian classical music for more than 10 years before coming to UCLA.
“I love having jam sessions with them, where we just sit in a random conference room or random hallway, and just jam out and perform,” Arora said.
Briseida Rocha, a third-year art history student who tabled for the community service club Artreach, said she joined the organization last year after learning about it at the EAF. Artreach aims to give underserved communities in Los Angeles an outlet to create and enjoy art, according to the club’s Instagram account.
The club allowed her to destress through working with kids, Rocha added.
Bruin Origami for All is meant to be accessible for people of different skill levels, Labrada Soto said. Since its founding during the COVID-19 pandemic, the club has provided a space for members to meet other people, said Casey Kong, a member of Bruin Origami for All and a fourth-year ecology student.
“Showing up every week, you are with the same people, so you start making friends,” Labrada Soto said.
Rocha said that EAF allows students across all majors to bond and pursue new interests in clubs together.
“Everyone in this club , no one’s judging each other,” Rocha said. “You don’t have to just be an arts major.”
Contributing reports by Rune Long, Daily Bruin contributor
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