From heavy weights to a buzzer machine to lightsabers and a working rocket, this year’s Club Fair saw club leaders bring unique parts of their club to Snyder Center to attract potential members. The fair also featured the new debut of the club system: Club Hub, with club stands including QR codes leading to their Club Hub registration page.
In an attempt to centralize registered clubs and streamline the sign-up process onto a single platform, the 2024-2025 Co-Presidents Nate Liang ’25 and Saraya Angbazo ’25 hosted a meeting in coordination with Christopher Capano, Director of Student Activities, and Susan Esty, Dean of Students and Residential Life, on October 3, to orient club leaders about Club Hub’s launch at the fair. Sebastian Lemberger ’25, Co-Head of the Philomathean Society, provided insight on the choices that his club took in order to attract as many students as possible.
“This year, for the club fair, we are bringing out some stuff that I was previously unaware that we had. We have this room full of trophies under Morse, so we figure that we will just bring a bunch of trophies to the club rally to look like we are good at what we do,” said Lemberger, “There’s [also] a bit of a logistical change because Club Hub, the new platform for managing clubs, is launching, so now, instead of using email lists, they are encouraging clubs to promote their Club Hub page at the fair. They give you one QR code. It’s a prerequisite for being able to be present there, so it’s part of the administration’s crackdown on registered clubs.”
The fall Club Fair presents the first official opportunity for students new to Andover to be introduced to existing clubs on campus. Anya Casey ’28 shared her excitement about the opportunities she found exciting and hopes to take part in during the upcoming year.
“The club fair [was] very hectic but very fun. I signed up for the creative writing club, a poetry club, the gospel choir, and a couple others. I would describe the Club Fair as being fun, loud, and has helped bring me closer to the community. People are more friendly and less scary than I expected,” said Casey.
As new students discovered clubs for the first time, returning students had the opportunity to discover emerging clubs that were created in the past year. Emily Wu ’25, Co-Head of the Dharma-Sunga Club and Buddhist Philosophy Club, reiterated the importance of the Club Fair as being a space to find new interests and explore potential passions.
“This year, there were a lot of people, more clubs than I expected, and the [Juniors were] interested in everything. I have seen a range of attitudes, some very enthusiastic and some very not. I have definitely re-signed up for clubs, and I have also joined a lot of new ones,” said Wu.
Lemberger spoke about his perspective on being part of club leadership. Having discovered the Philomathean Society coincidentally, he highlighted how managing the club had been a challenging yet fruitful undertaking.
“At many points throughout my time at Andover, the amount [of work] I have had to do with clubs and extracurriculars has been way, way greater than the amount of work that I have had to do for classes and such. So, it’s a bit like taking eight classes because it’s a lot of additional work, and being able to balance that with classes and having friends and that kind of thing is very difficult,” said Lemberger.
Lemberger continued, “I really enjoy leading those spaces and helping people pursue their interests. I wouldn’t say that I have changed especially… but I’ve had a lot of meaningful and interesting experiences.”
