Disclaimer: The three clubs featured in this article were not the extent of the new clubs at BYUH. To see the other new clubs, and all the clubs in general, visit byuh.campuslabs.com/engage/ organizations
Afro World:
Jackie Morris, a sophomore majoring in social work from Virginia, is the president and founder of Afro World, a new club emphasizing its three goals of representation, education, and unity.
According to Morris, Afro World is “a club that celebrates the different cultures within the African diaspora. The idea of the club came when I thought maybe I wasn’t the only one who felt this way. Because in all reality, not all black people are from one place.”
Explaining what inspired her to start Afro World, Morris said, “It started because I myself am African American/Caribbean American.” She continued, “There was an African chapter before, and though I love learning about the motherland, I couldn’t help but not feel too connected with it because I wasn’t born there, so the experience is different.”
Her goal, as the club president of Afro World, Morris said is, “I want to celebrate all of the beauty within this whole dispersion. From North America to South, Central America, Caribbean, even if someone has an experience from Asia and the Pacific. No one is excluded. We all have stories and different experiences.”
According to Morris, the club will make sure everyone feels appreciated and heard. She wants to educate others properly and accurately, according to our own unique customs and traditions along with bringing people together to build relationships.
Rapid Fire Dating:
President and creator of Rapid Fire Dating [RFD] Cienna Madson, a sophomore biology major from Idaho, hopes this new club will help individuals break out of their comfort zones and make meaningful connections with others.
“Members will participate and meet as many people as they can. This is a fast-paced, exciting way to meet ‘potentials’ and hopefully leave having had a great time, met someone new, and learn.”
Madson said RFD was created as “an act of rebellion against everything that is keeping us from making true connections.” According to Madson, she said, “Dating apps are the norm and swiping left and right based on a few pictures is not only acceptable but also considered to be the only way to meet people. We need to fight back.
“We can't live behind screens and expect to meet people and get where we want to go. We need to remember what it's like to sit down with a stranger and talk with them until they become a friend.”
On what the club will help members with, Madson said, “How to maintain eye contact, laugh out loud, and be honest about who we are and who we want to be.”
Speaking about the activities for the club, Madson said the RFD activities are individually designed to teach true principles about dating. She wants the club to provide an environment for each individual to be themselves and accept others as they are. The activities are meant to be fun, unique, and interactive. Ultimately, she said she hopes to encourage real dating.
In closing, Madson stated, “The RFD presidency believes that human connection is what life is all about. This club arose from seeing the disconnect between us as a generation, and I believing that if we do nothing, we will miss more than we think we will.”
Econ Club:
Dominik Lyzwinski, a senior business student from Poland who said he has 10 years of business experience, is the president of the Econ Club. After having been a member previously of the Econ Club at the LDS Business College, Lyzwinski said he believes BYUH programs “remain a key part of our efforts towards creating a freer and prosperous society.”
Lyzwinski said the Econ society is a lot bigger than the club. He said, “Our passionate network of think tanks and NGOs work hard to organize their own regional conferences that students from BYU–Hawaii attend every semester.”
He said Econ Club will go to FEECON 2019 this year. According to FEECON’s website, “it is an annual event to empower a new generation of entrepreneurs by bringing together professionals, industry leaders, scholars, coders, philanthropists, and students for a three-day journey of discovery, connection, empowerment, and fun.”
Lyzwinski said, “As a senior member of the leadership team here in Hawaii, I participate in activism events with the help of our leadership retreats and various grant programs. Students also grapple with advanced economic theory in our Virtual Reading Groups as well as our 3rd-party partners.” A few of the partners he listed were Google, Bitcoin, First Liberty, Microsoft, and plus more.
Writer: Shannon Crowley