On Thursday, the Main Green filled with students for the University’s biannual Activities Fair. Alongside the many returning publications, affinity groups, and club sports teams, over thirty undergraduate student groups tabled at the fair for the first time.
The Herald spoke to members of four groups making their Activities Fair debut.
Aung Swan Oo ’28 said the Brown Foreign Policy Initiative began with the goal of serving as a “launchpad for Brown students entering foreign policy.”
Last spring, the club took a trip to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston, where students had the opportunity to meet with the office’s Director General Charles Liao.
The club interested Albert Yao ’30 because of the opportunity it provides members to learn more about current events and the “hands-on way to get involved and create some change.”
Brown Moot Court also serves as a medium for students to practice skills that will be useful after graduation. Anita Sosa ’29, issue captain of Moot Court, added that the group is especially useful to pre-law students who may be graded on similar skills during their time in law school.
In the club, participants speak and compete as if they are before the Supreme Court. This includes analyzing past precedent in order to make their cases, explained Sabine Cladis ’29, Brown Moot Court director of communications.
The emphasis on learning how to construct compelling arguments appealed to Udayjot Bhullar ’30, who stopped by Brown Moot Court’s table at the fair. “I believe that in order to be a good-functioning adult in society, you have to be able to convey your ideas and defend them,” he said.
Graham Israeli ’27, president of Brown Neuromuscular Alliance, started his club because of his personal family history. His uncle had Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and growing up, Israeli was exposed to the Muscular Dystrophy Association — an organization the club is now partnering with to organize volunteering, advocacy and research initiatives.
“We have the express mission of just making the experience of patients with neuromuscular diseases easier in any way we can,” he added.
The club also connects students with professionals with research experience, a component of the group that especially interested Chibike Mgbeahuru ’30. “I always had an interest in neuroscience and the research applications of it,” he said.
Perfect Pair Brown University was also founded with the intention of engaging with the community. Perfect Pair is a national organization that hopes to foster intergenerational connections by connecting college students with older adults living in assisted living facilities.
“I felt like in my life there was less interaction with older adults,” Co-President of Perfect Pair Brown University Alicia Xu ’27 said. “I recently got matched with my own older adult, and learning from him and seeing his life has been really interesting.
“I think it’s really valuable to talk to people of different ages,” she added.
Joel Fisher ’28, who is interested in joining Perfect Pair Brown University, is pre-med and has worked with elderly patients in the past.
“I enjoy talking to older individuals who are wise beyond their years,” he said.
Tyler Timmers is a senior staff writer covering undergraduate student life.
