From sailing to science, Week of Welcome opens doors for students at The Beach
First-year Cal State Long Beach student Camila Catron-Castillo, on the lookout for campus recreational activities, was surrounded by peers inviting her and others to join their teams:
Club Hockey enthusiasts enduring the noontime sun while wearing sweaters emblazoned with Long Beach State’s hues of black and gold, Beach Crew members standing alongside rowing machines, Men’s and Women’s Rugby players, Club Cross Country runners and Ultimate Frisbee aficionados were all among those making a play for students’ attention.
As luck would have it, Catron-Castillo found the CSULB Sailing Association, offering a chance to build on her experiences helming small watercraft. This is just one of the countless encounters made possible by Week of Welcome, an event helping Beach students to discover clubs and services matching their needs and interests.
“This just put clubs on my radar,” said Catron-Castillo, a biochemistry student and President’s Scholar. “It put the sailing club on my radar.”
Catron-Castillo moved to the residence halls from the Sacramento area just before the fall term opened. She has since started biology and chemistry fields aligned with her major, taken her first bus ride to the beach and gotten her initial impressions of life at CSULB.
“Everyone is very friendly,” Catron-Castillo said. “People are academic, but also trying to enjoy themselves.”
More than 100 CSULB organizations showed up for this fall's Week of Welcome. Associated Students, Inc. organizes the event, which took place over Sept. 3 and 4 along the sidewalks traversing the grassy areas of Central Quad.
Catron-Castillo ventured into a crowd of peers on their own missions of curiosity with the objective of finding opportunities for fun and support for her goal of entering the medical field.
Meeting sailing club members presented a potential option for the recreational side of her quest. Even if she had never sailed before, club representative Gabriel Auge advised her the club includes newcomers.
“You can show up at our club, knowing literally nothing, and we can teach you,” said Auge, a fourth-year marine biology student.
And encountering students involved with the American Medical Student Association offered a solution in her search for an academic club. The group, fourth-year kinesiology student Parmeet Gill said, hosts meetings with guest speakers, study sessions and also helps members find opportunities to complete clinical hours.
“We’re just trying to bring everybody together, so we have a lot of resources for each other,” Gill said.
Catron-Castillo also spoke with CSULB service providers including the Office of Belonging and Inclusion and Career Development Center.
“Being here just solidified what I would like to be interested in,” Catron-Castillo said. “It made me less overwhelmed.”
An observer would have been able to see how CSULB enables more than 42,000 students to cultivate numerous interests.
The Beach Launch Team, displaying metallic rocket components, was among several groups for students interested in aerodynamics and other forms of engineering. Additional clubs center on a multitude of activities, among them: studio and performing arts, community service, cultural affinities, faith, and social activities as varied as salsa dancing, tabletop gaming and thrifting.
“Lots of high energy,” Catron-Castillo said, assessing her overall impression of the event.
“I think there’s a good balance between academics, sports and student resources,” she said.
