Club Fair Welcomes Crowds with Over 85 Offerings

Both gyms as well as the cafeteria were packed with students exploring a wide variety of organizations. *Photo: @therealmidwoodhs*

By KELLY LI and TASHFA UMAIR

Midwood’s annual club fair on October 16 transformed both gyms and the cafeteria into a buzzing marketplace of student life. The event featured 85+ clubs, complete with colorful posters, candy-filled displays, and enthusiastic leaders eager to welcome students looking for new interests and communities.

Several clubs made their debut at this year’s fair, including Future Dentists of Midwood, History, Architecture and Engineering, and more.

“The main goal of my club is to advocate for the youth, especially for those who don't have early access to education about oral hygiene,” said Sabina Babakulova ‘26, president of Future Dentists.

“We celebrate the diverse sides of history that often go untaught in the regular school curriculum,” said Wen Chen ‘27, president of History Club. “We plan to host fun events like cultural food potlucks, guest speaker sessions, and community service projects with local libraries to help teach younger students about history.”

“Many people have no idea what architecture truly can be about,” said Emil Gurbaunaliyev ‘26, president of the Architecture and Engineering Club. “It's not just the design of buildings, it's engineering, it's art, it's all this beautiful stuff mixed into one profession.” The club plans on implementing model making, class trips, and research on different architectural styles.

The Thrift Club also made a comeback, returning with a renewed mission.

“We want to make a space for people who love thrifting and sustainable fashion,” said Club President Senmeri Angaza ‘26. “I'm hoping to incorporate thrift store trips, upcycling workshops to make your older clothes new again, and to put on a clothing drive to give back to the community.”

Alongside the newcomers, returning clubs brought a familiar energy, from culture to STEM and activism.

“Our club is aimed towards helping other Central Asian girls be more in touch with their culture,” said Aziza Ziyadulloeva ‘26, the president of Women of Central Asia. “We've been doing jewelry and keychain making with our flags to represent our countries, and this year we're doing mini journaling to show what we do every day.”

The Cancer Support Club’s goal is to “raise awareness about various types of cancers and provide support for those who had cancer or have had family members that had cancer,” said Club President and Liaison Officer Maya Itskovich ‘26. The club hopes to host more cancer walks and toy drives for the Children's Cancer Center.

Music and the arts were well supported amongst the offerings. Yiru Fang, the president of C-Pop, said, “The purpose of our club is to gather students who are interested in dance, teach them, prepare them to dance in Asian Fest, and basically have fun and make new friends.”

Photography Club President Paul Khanis ‘27 said it’s a misconception that his club is only for “professionals” with expensive cameras. “Photography Club is simply a way to show how the camera can be used to interpret the world around you,” he said.

Just about every hobby and craft had a dedicated club available to interested students. The Gardening Club “is meant to help people learn how to grow and care for plants while also understanding the importance of taking care of the environment,” said President Zuvi Quang ‘26. “It’s a way to get hands-on experience and share a love of gardening with others.”

Book Club president Annabelle Franklin ‘26 said her club “isn’t just about reading and assigning reading pages after school. It's way more than that. It's about building a community and understanding literature and the deeper message of books.”

Many students praised the lively energy of the fair.

“It felt like Halloween—going around taking candy from each club,” said Hannah Lin ‘26, who joined three clubs after attending the fair.

“It was amazing to see that Midwood is not restricted to clubs that are academic-based,” said Maribel J. Santacruz ‘26.

Reflecting on last year's fair, Katy Kuang ‘26 said that the organization felt significant improved this year, with related clubs grouped together in the same location, making it “much easier to browse.”

While the excitement was high, the biggest complaint was overcrowding.

“I felt squeezed during the whole experience,” said Santacruz.

“People were blocking poster boards and it was really hard to show interested members because other club leaders were blocking half of the board,” said senior Vanessa Wu.

Preparation for the fair started a month in advance. The student government made sure to order enough posters for every club and worked hard to organize all the old display boards so any returning clubs could reuse them.

Itskovich said, “It was all about making sure every club had what it needed to look its best!”

Thoughtful planning has begun to ensure next year’s club fair is even better, with improvements like better crowd flow and clearer deadlines.

“We could try separating the clubs into groups, i.e. putting all the academic clubs in one section," said Itskovich. “For the registration process, we plan to use a stricter deadline and put the forms out earlier to give everyone more time.”

Even with areas for improvement, the overall spirit of the fair left a lasting impression.

“Our biggest challenge was simply keeping up with the enthusiasm!” said Itskovich. “We were thrilled by the level of student engagement and the variety of options available.”