As is tradition, Bellevue College hosted its quarterly welcome fair, Get Involved at BC Day, on Wednesday, Apr. 10 from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the Student Union building, or C building. The purpose of the fair is to welcome students to a new quarter and to the BC community. The fair is a good resource for people who want to learn more about BC and become a part of this community.
At the fair, people could learn more information about some of the resources on campus. Students who participated had the opportunity to meet with club leaders, hear the scoop on exciting events and student job postings, and join a club on the spot. Student Programs, which sponsored the event, provided light snacks and candy to welcome each of Bellevue College’s students and staff members.
The area around the cafeteria started getting busy around 11 a.m. when different clubs, programs and off-campus organizations set up their tables. Representatives at each of the tables were eager to promote themselves to students, and encourage them to get involved with their club or program.
One of the program representatives, Erika Lamothe, Outreach Coordinator from the Office of Sustainability, said, “I am tabling for the Office of Sustainability to promote Earth Week and our Earth Week art gallery.” Earth Week is coming up on Apr. 22, and Lamothe is looking for students’ artwork based around sustainability. “I think students are gaining a lot of exposure to local opportunities and BC community, which is a really good experience for new-comers.” added Lamothe.
As a current BC Running Start student, Katie MacNary had some good experience and learned a lot more about BC at the fair. “I saw a lot of student clubs I never heard of. In the past, I went to the BC website to look for active clubs, but it was hard to find information about them. However, it was nice to see them all out there today, and now I know when they actually meet and who runs the clubs.” MacNary signed up for Chemistry Club and Rotary Club on the spot. “I did not try to get involved on this campus for the last two quarters since I am still a high schooler, but I then realized that I want to invest more time at BC because it is where I go now.” MacNary wished she had started trying new things at BC in her first quarter, and her biggest take-away was “go again.”
Betsabe Sarabia, a current BC student, said, “I learned a lot from this event. Some of the highlights were the Office of International Education (OIE) and the Library Media Center booths. I went to the OIE table to learn about their events because one of my classmates was managing the booth.” Sarabia majors in civil engineering, so observing what STEM clubs do on campus motivated her to think about joining Rocket Club and Computer Science Club. Spring is Sarabia’s third quarter at BC, and she wanted to share some tips for her fellow students, “Do not be afraid of going up and asking what is up because you can get a different perspective from others. Be open and take your time to see what clubs and programs there are and make the most of your education.”
Get Involved at BC Day attracted not only students, but also instructors. Cristina Sciabarra, an adjunct professor always likes to go to the welcome fairs because she finds it very interesting to see what student organizations there are, and what other resources from campus are available. Sciabarra shared some tips for students, “Attending class is really important, and I think attendance is 80 percent of success in college. Stay in touch with your instructor and let them know what is going on. Talk with other students in class, try to make new friends, and do not just come to class and sit in the corner and leave.” Besides that, Sciabarra suggested students be purposeful when joining clubs. “All the clubs here do a lot of cool things. Join clubs that you can commit and participate in, and you will gain much experience and knowledge out of that.”
Photo by Eliot Gentiluomo