Last night I decided to switch up my normal Wednesday night routine and venture out to see the women’s soccer game. Ironically enough, it was against their South Jersey rival, the Rowan Profs. Rowan just so happens to be the school nearest to my hometown and even closer to my high school, being considered “the one that everyone goes to,” so this was the perfect game to go watch.

After dinner, I met up with my friend Olivia and we headed out to get a seat. It was an added bonus that the admission to get in was free; I hadn’t known that before going to this game. We sat about midfield but soon realized that we were much farther away from the players than we had initially expected.  Looking out across the field, each girl looked like a much tinier version of herself; we did not realize before we came that the field would seem so far away. As we sat, we also admired the vast size of the field. Olivia had played high school soccer, and I have watched soccer for a better part of eight years my sister now plays in high school but this field seems surprisingly large to both of us. I remember watching high school soccer games thinking “Wow, these girls have to play on a field bigger than what football players play on,” and this field seemed even larger than that.

The game began, and it was good competition from the start. Coming from Cumberland county and going to school in Pittsgrove in Salem county, I have always heard the news about Rowan sports and how well they are faring for the season. It was interesting to watch them in action, especially against my new school’s team. I knew a few girls on the Rowan team from different parts of my life and had heard about a few of the Stockton girls, but had yet to come into contact with them. For most of the first half it was equally matched, both teams battling it out to see who would score first. Unfortunately, much to Stockton’s dismay, the game ended in a 2-0 loss for the Ospreys. They held their own and contended throughout the entire game. It was a lively and exciting experience for my first college soccer game, and I will most definitely be attending more Stockton sporting events in the future.

On this rainy, dreary Tuesday, I was able to attend the fall Get Involved Fair. Being the unaware, naive freshmen that I am, my eyes were opened to all the possibilities here at Stockton University. Walking around the fair, touring all the clubs, organizations, and volunteer opportunities that Stockton has to offer was very heartwarming to me. It really is true that if you can dream up a club, you can make it a reality.

There was buzz around each table I passed by. Students were engaged in conversation with the leaders of organizations, acquiring information about all the amenities from said club. The C-D atrium was definitely the fullest with students, given that this area had the majority of on-campus clubs who also may participate in service activities. I particularly liked the setups and giveaways that some tables offered: everything from popcorn and snacks to wheels to spin to win free prizes. Nonetheless, my favorite table that I stopped at was the Stockton Christian Fellowship table. I was very much looking forward to meeting the students who are involved in and run this club so that I could also become a part of it.

As I was looking around, I realized just how apparent “club creating” is. From the Garden Club to the Chemical Society, anything is possible if a student has the right group of people and a plan of action. Getting the word out is the next step to making the club a productive, well-liked group that students want to attend. Having a core set of people who will run events and appreciate the topic the club discusses would also be valuable to the success and longevity of its legacy.

From all the information I gathered today, I am very excited to begin my journey as an involved Stockton student. That will be fairly easy given the vast opportunities and new clubs I saw that are offered. After today, I have decided to join the Stockton Christian Fellowship, Roteract Club, and the Spanish Club, and possibly a few more down the line. The Get Involved Fair was well worth my time, even if it was a bit overwhelming having to step outside my comfort zone to find out about the clubs.