On Tuesday, January 31, crowds of students came out for Kean University’s Student Involvement and Employment Fair. From 12 to 4 p.m., the chatter and laughs of students could be heard throughout the Mirson Student Center. The clubs and organizations set up tables and were ready to showcase the interesting and unique qualities of their groups.
“My favorite booth . . . I would say, was Kean CRU,” said Student Elisa Fernandez. “I would describe this event as interactive, each floor has something unique about it.”
Fernandez attended the fair to get more involved on campus. At the time, she was only a part of a Greek organization and hoped to find student groups that would increase her campus engagement.
“I was looking forward to all the free items,” said Freshman Malika Roberts.
Students could be seen grabbing items from the different tables. There were all kinds of freebies scattered throughout the event, which helped in getting students to stop at booths and pick up useful souvenirs.
“Everybody is nice and smiling . . . this is my first time at Kean, so I’ve never really been to an event like this,” said Ashley Ababio.
Ababio is a transfer psychology major who attended the involvement fair, an opportunity that wasn’t part of her experience at community college. She enjoyed this new experience and was able to find a club that peaked her interest.
“My favorite booth so far would be the Kean Gospel Choir. I like to sing,” Ababio said.
Most of the foot traffic in the Miron Student Center consisted of students looking to join clubs. With so many attendees, the different groups and organizations were eager to share their presence with the Kean community. Many leaders, like Criminal Justice Club President Harmanjot Kaur, were able to recruit new members at the fair.
“It’s mostly the people we get; we get to learn from them and their different experiences,” said Kaur.
Many tables had different attractions to help reel in students. Kean Cares was one of the many organizations that had an interesting attraction piece at this year’s fair.
“I thought the mirror was super cute, inspiring and uplifting,” said Erin Lester, program coordinator for the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
Kean Cares displayed a selfie-station consisting of a mirror covered in positive affirmations. The uplifting messages were handwritten on colorful hearts which surrounded the frame. The mirror aimed to encourage and uplift the Kean community as they stopped to look or take a photo with it.
Kean University continues to expand the ways in which students can get involved on campus. Every student deserves to find a space on campus where they feel comfortable expressing themselves, exploring their interests and building connections with their peers. The Student Involvement and Employment Fair had a wonderful turnout and the conversations that took place on that day are only the start of new journeys for Kean students.
