By John Michael Guerrero

Terracina Dr. at Riverside City College bustled with students Sept. 13 for the first day of the fall semester’s Club Rush. Over 30 different clubs assembled to inform students about their purpose, meeting times and activities members could participate in over the course of the semester.

The Associated Students of Riverside City College were handing out hotdogs and drinks to the first 200 students that took the initiative to learn about eight different clubs at the event. A funnel cake vendor was also on site for students and faculty to pick up an extra treat on the go.

Associations like the International Club are aimed at helping students from outside of the United States to adjust and find their niche here at RCC.

“(International Club) is a fraternity for international students to meet domestic students so that they can socialize and (make) more friends on campus,” Club President Charlianne Yeyna said. “My main goal as (the club president) is to (ensure) every international student that comes in from abroad feels at home (here at RCC).”

Other groups such as the Sustainability Collective, Red Cross Club and Puente aspire to help educate the Riverside community.

“Our goal is to not only help the community, but also help educate people (about) how to practice environmentally friendly practices like recycling,” club member Ashley Hen said.

The event highlighted a diverse range of clubs at the college, including community outreach. Some of the services include tree planting, promoting blood drives and collecting resources to distribute to people community-wide, not just students.

Along with being outlets to educate and promote activism, every club aims to create a space for members to flourish and learn from new experiences.

“It really helped me to grow out of my shell… I found my place (through this club) and it helped me grow as a person,” Red Cross Club President Carolyn Ung said.