Interested in starting a club on campus? Sydney Burrell ’14 did it and she is sharing her experience here! Other than starting up a club, Sydney is involved in many other activities at Oxy, including holding the Recruitment Chair position as a member of Delta Omicron Tau, Photography Club and a Barista at the Green Bean. She is majoring in Group Language with Spanish and Linguistics.
Why did you choose to come to Oxy? What is your favorite thing about Oxy?
I chose Oxy because I was looking for a small liberal arts school, warm weather, and Oxy offered a good amount of financial aid. My favorite thing about Oxy is the size. I may not feel the same way when I’m senior, but I really like that I can walk around campus and always see someone I know. It also makes it a lot easier to get to know professors and have a more discussion-based classroom experience.
How was your experience as an OxyEngage Leader?
It was so much fun!! I was a leader for the LA Icons trip and we got to see so much, most of which I had never seen before. In 3 days we covered an enormous amount of LA, including Griffith Park, Dodgers Stadium, Huntington Gardens, Olvera St., and more! Not to mention we definitely had the best group of freshmen and it was really cool getting to know all of them.
What do you enjoy to do in your free time?
Usually, when I actually have free time, I like chillin’ with my friends, catching up on Modern Family episodes, and sleeping! In another life I’d be a koala because I enjoy sleeping so much. I do have a social life, I swear!
Why did you choose to get involved in your many activities on campus?
I got involved with Greek life my freshmen year because I absolutely love doing sorority squats! Just kidding. I joined because the girls in Delta are amazing and wanted to be involved with more on campus. I joined photography club because Oxy doesn’t offer any photography classes and it has been a great way to continue taking pictures, and the club leaders are amazing photographers that are super inspiring. As for working at the Green Bean, I really liked the idea of smelling like coffee all day long!
What do you love the most about your activities?
What I love most about Delta are all the awesome girls! Everyone in Delta is all very different, but some how it still works. It’s not like I made 80 new best friends, but I still love them all and have a great time with them. Working at the Green Bean is probably one of the most fun jobs on campus. As someone whose cooking experience is limited to grilled cheese and popcorn, the Green Bean transformed me into a drink-making machine! And obviously everything about Outdoors Club is awesome (which is why everyone should join). But actually what I love most about it is that we can go anywhere in LA, for hiking, rock climbing, etc., and Oxy will provide the funding.
Why did you decide to re-start an Outdoors club?
I re-started the Outdoors Club because Oxy didn’t previously have any clubs that organized hiking trips, and so I figured the easiest way to fulfill my need to explore the outdoors was to organize my own trips. Also, LA has so much to offer when it comes to hikes and camping and etc. so it was crazy that Oxy didn’t offer any outdoors activities.
What was it like starting a club at Occidental?
I had to put in a lot of work to re-start the Outdoors Club. Luckily since it was already a club before I didn’t have to go through as much because the basic structure was already there. But because the club offers trips that require physical activity and possible safety risks I had to go through a lot to have waivers and other safety procedures made. But in the end it’s worth it, because we can rent Bengal Buses anytime for our trips and eventually Oxy can fund us for things like big camping trips or rock climbing instructors.
What do you recommend for anyone who is trying to start a club?
Don’t do it on your own. If you have other people to help you through the process it will make it so much easier. And be sure you know exactly what you want for your club before starting it. It’s never a bad idea to plan ahead of time.
Have you gotten to see this busy bee at work? Is she your favorite barista at the Green Bean? Leave your comments below!