Join the Club: Three Students Jump Into Campus Life and Thrive

The first time senior marketing major Ryan Foley attended a meeting of C.A.L.I.B.E.R., Adelphi’s community service organization, he was a shy, uncomfortable first-year student standing quietly in the back of the room. As he attended more events and service projects, Foley started feeling more at ease, and more like a part of the campus community. After his first semester, he realized one club wasn’t enough. He started joining more.

“I have found people who think like me and that I love spending time with,” Foley says of his involvement in a number of campus organizations. “Getting involved is the best decision I have made and the most rewarding experience in the past four years. The bonds I’ve formed with others will last well after college.”

At Adelphi, a wide range of student clubs and organizations helps students make the most of their college experience by connecting with other like-minded students and engaging in a rich campus life.

“There is an organization offering for everyone,” says Lauren Purcaro, the associate director of the Center for Student Involvement. “There are so many things to do every day and night on campus, and a large part of that is our student organization involvement.”

For instance, there are organizations that focus on academics, social action, sports and other interests. Every year, new clubs and organizations are formed to meet the needs of students who want to get engaged.

Building Relationships

After senior speech-language pathology major Samantha Irace met officers from the Adelphi chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) during her First-Year Orientation, she knew the organization would be part of her Adelphi experience. “The fact that an organization dedicated to my field of study—communication sciences and disorders—existed on our campus was exciting and inspiring to me,” she says.

Joining the NSSLHA has been a boon for Irace. It’s helped her form professional relationships with faculty and administrators who have served as role models for her, and it connected her with sophomores, juniors and seniors who encouraged her to pursue undergraduate research. She also got the chance to represent the chapter at the organization’s national convention in Boston.

Last year, as president of the organization, Irace launched a student mentoring program and a monthly newsletter. She says building relationships with others who have similar career goals has given her more opportunities to discuss the materials covered in her classes, increasing her understanding of the topics and how to apply them in the real world.

Irace also found support in the Greek life system, with the sorority Delta Phi Epsilon. There, she found role models for her personal development. Through involvement in this community, Irace has gotten to know students from a variety of academic fields with a number of different goals.

“In supporting each other in our academic endeavors, we learn from each other and increase our understanding of different professions,” she says.

Foley joined a Greek organization, too—Delta Sigma Pi, the coed business fraternity on campus. It was a move that helped him find other like-minded people on campus and build his connection to the business school.

“Without my fraternity, I would not be the person that I am today,” he says. “It has forced me to come out of my shell, build confidence and prepare for life after college.”

Becoming Leaders

Early in her college career, senior exercise science major Ashley Willoughby simply attended class and went to work.

“I felt that there was something missing in my Adelphi experience,” she says. “I decided to get involved in clubs that I felt passionate about and that would make me more of a well-rounded individual.”

Willoughby found her place in the Student Activities Board, where she now serves as president, as well as the Panhellenic Association, where she is vice president of communications. She is also a health and wellness peer educator, providing educational workshops and sessions for other students on a variety of health, wellness and social issues.

“Each position I have held has helped me develop my leadership abilities in different ways,” Willoughby says.

Students who choose to get involved in some of Adelphi’s many campus clubs and organizations find that their college experience is fuller and richer than if they simply went to class. With a wealth of activities available, Adelphi offers every student an opportunity to maximize their experience and grow professionally, socially and as a leader.