AUS students enjoy cultural activities and networking at virtual Spring Club Fair 2021

American University of Sharjah (AUS) kicked off its Spring 2021 Club Fair yesterday February 22, with a variety of virtual activities, competitions and presentations.

The two-day event features 74 student clubs and organizations, including the AUS Student Council, 24 interest-oriented clubs, 24 academic clubs and 25 cultural clubs. With approximately 90 nationalities currently enrolled at the university, the Club Fair provides students with an opportunity to experience the cultural heritage of the many ethnicities represented on campus. Organized by the Office of Student Affairs, the event also gave students the chance to learn more about the university’s student leadership programs, community service programs, on-campus student employment, athletics and recreation, and residential hall life by visiting their designated booths.  

“Club Fair is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn about and register for student clubs. AUS has always prided itself on the unique student experience it offers through its quality academic programs and extracurricular activities. By taking part, students can build long-lasting friendships, meet people from various backgrounds, and gain many skills, such as teamwork, communication, problem solving and time management,” said Dr. Lisa Bardill Moscaritolo, Vice Provost for Student Life at AUS.

To participate in the virtual Club Fair, students logged into a dedicated website where they navigated the clubs’ web pages, chatted with executive board members, registered to join, and participated in competitions and won prizes. 

Yara Aljabi, President of Palestinian Cultural Club, said her club’s booth enabled students to meet with the club representatives and learn more about the Palestinian culture, the vision and mission of the club, and enjoy a scavenger hunt.

“Attending Club Fair is a great opportunity to create connections and network as well as learn about other cultures. This is especially important for new students. They can also explore their own interests and hobbies by visiting clubs that cater to them,” said Aljabi.

The IEEE SIGHT (Special Interest Group on Humanitarian Technology) Chapter focused on introducing students to the many projects it carries out throughout the semester.

“Our club focuses on projects that utilize technology to help the underprivileged. For example, in Fall 2020 we worked with the AUS Office of Community Services and Outreach to teach orphans coding and hardware online in collaboration with Sharjah Social Empowerment Organization. We want new students to know what we do. We organized a humanitarian engineering competition consisting of questions and games for students to enjoy,” said IEEE Sight Chapter President Nadeen Ahmed said.

The Saudi Cultural Club also had a lot to offer at the event. “In addition to the networking opportunity, we prepared a video for students to learn about Saudi Arabia and how it has changed over past years. We also prepared some fun activities and competitions for students to take part in,” said Faisal Al Garawi President of Saudi Cultural Club.

The Club Fair concludes today, February 23.