As a senior at Scripps, I’ve had ample time to explore academics in a number of disciplines, finish two majors, complete a semester abroad in Vienna, Austria, and be part of a Psychology research team, but what played one of the most significant roles for me in exploring my interests and finding where I wanted to fit among my peers were on-campus clubs and organizations (CLORGS). As a first-year, I worried about balancing the time of extracurriculars with my academics, so I began with a minimal commitment—volunteering with the Admission Ambassador Team (AAT) giving weekly tours and hosting students overnight. I could direct my energy and excitement about Scripps to prospective students, and since I had just been through the college search and admission process could give helpful advice. This required only a few hours of my time each week, and by second semester, I remember deciding with my roommate that we would both take on significant extracurricular activities.
I turned in an application to Jumpstart, an AmeriCorps non-profit that requires a 300 hr term of service over the course of one year. Jumpstart ended up playing a huge role in the remainder of my time at Scripps and in my life. I spent two mornings a week with a team of 5C students at a local HeadStart preschool with a partner child helping her develop reading and social skills, as well as two hours a week in team meetings planning lessons for the next session. I took on a bigger leadership role within Jumpstart my sophomore year as “Team Leader,” coordinating the student teams, overseeing their work with the preschoolers, and leading the classroom sessions. This directed my passion for working with children and the option to pursue education as a career…plus, by the time I got to my 11am class, I already felt so accomplished and had received 20+ hugs that day!
While I was deciding to join Jumpstart, my roommate signed up to be a DJ and volunteer at KSPC, the 5C independent radio station. Three years later she has taken on many roles within KSPC including promotions director and music director, has worked planning concerts, and still DJs each week. KSPC and Jumpstart are both 5C extracurriculars that have given me a strong friendship base across the colleges.
I had found so much satisfaction in the CLORGS I had become a part of that I thought I’d keep picking them up. I play violin, and towards the end of my sophomore year realized that I wanted to try something other than orchestra. With the encouragement of my friends, I joined Mariachi Serrano de Claremont, the all student run 5C Mariachi group. I became obsessed. The Tuesday practices were the highlight of my week, and I made friends I wouldn’t have found in any of my classes. The dynamic was different than anything I had experienced in playing music—there was history, culture, passion, and fun. We hung out with our instruments outside of practice and tried new things, taught each other new songs, and as a group committed to weekly gigs both on and off-campus. I am now a co-president of Mariachi Serrano, coordinating the weekly practices.
I helped plan a few concerts through KSPC radio station and fell in love with booking bands and getting musicians we wanted to support to play on the 5Cs. I also had shared emotions with others with the underrepresentation of women musicians brought to the campuses, and that Scripps had seemed to fall into a singer-songwriter niche when booking women musicians. With two of my friends with experience at KSPC, we founded Scripps LiveArts this year, which works to bring independent musicians, most of whom have women members, from different genres to campus, and to use different spaces on campus in ways they’ve never been used before. Members learn the ropes of booking concerts, designing concert posters, promoting concerts, and how to discover independent artists.
Incredibly important at Scripps and on the 5Cs are clubs and organizations that provide resources and empowerment. The ones at Scripps are housed in SCORE, which is a community space of people committed to enhancing and supporting diversity at Scripps and The Claremont Colleges. Some of these CLORGS include the Asian American Student Union, Wanawake Weusi, which seeks to support women of African descent, Café con Leche, which is a forum for the discussion of social, political, and economic issues that affect women, particularly those of Latina descent, and Family, the Scripps Queer-Straight Alliance.
The point is that we have endless opportunities to join an extracurricular that you have experience in, for something that you want support in, or something completely new you want to try.
Other popular clubs and organizations on campus include:
* Challah for Hunger: organization that bakes and sells loaves of Challah to students, sending proceeds to Sudanese refugee populations
* Outdoor Women Leaders: Organize outdoor activities (think rock climbing, hiking, surfing) or check out gear to do a trip of your own!
* Scripps College Mock Trial: members portray lawyers and witnesses in national tournaments
* Student Investment Fund: Students interested in financial markets and investing, manages a portfolio of around ten companies
* Voice: Scripps’s student-run newspaper, published bi-weekly
* [In]Visible Magazine: student-run magazine devoted to addressing the issues of body image on campus while promoting appreciation of inner beauty
* Fine Cheese Club: Scripps students gather weekly to appreciate delicious cheese
* Claremont Colleges Equestrian Team: 5C team of both competitive and recreational riders
* Intercollegiate Inner Tube Water Polo: Yep, this exists.
* Various a cappella groups (Women’s Blue & White, Midnight Echo)
Erin, Admission Ambassador Team Coordinator, Class of 2011
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