What do you do with your free time? When you think about it, it’s a pretty broad topic to consider. In a college environment students are presented with a multitude of options to occupy their time, and for many merely going to school is a fun activity because it provides a perfect opportunity for students to have fun with their friends, from playing sports between classes to catching up on recent events during lunch. And when they are away from the confines of campus, students continue to entertain themselves by going to a movie theatre with friends or by staying at home playing video games.
But what if you’re someone who just doesn’t get out much? You spend most of your time indoors because your friends don’t have enough time to hangout, or perhaps because you’re a freshman and aren’t yet familiar with how college life works, or maybe it’s because you just don’t have anything to occupy your time. No matter your reasons, if you’re a student who’s looking to try something new and have some fun doing it, I have to ask: why not try astronomy?
My name is Aaron Ynclan, and this is my fifth semester at HFCC. Recently, I changed my major from culinary to journalism, so I felt the best way I could get a feel for journalism was by joining the Mirror News. My first day there one of the people I spoke with was Jennifer Zdanowski, who happened to be the president of the Astronomy Club. When I mentioned that I was taking an Astronomy class, she immediately offered me the opportunity to join the Astronomy Club.
Now before I go on, I think it’s important for me to say that I’m not very social. I don’t avoid people or anything, but I’ve just never been a very talkative person. So the thought of joining a club full of people I didn’t know seemed a bit uncomfortable, but I had never been a part of a club before and felt it was important for me to give it a try. The next Thursday I went to my first Astronomy Club meeting, and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
The club is AMAZING. When I first joined, I felt a bit out of place, but everyone was quick to welcome me into the club and make me a member. When I joined the Astronomy Club, the semester was already half-way done and I missed several of the club activities, but not all of them. My second week in the club several of us went to the technology building after classes had ended, and we had a pizza/movie night and watched Sunshine (very good movie, by the way), and the following weekend most of the club attended a trip to Chicago to visit the Adler Museum. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend the trip due to job complications, but what I could do was help those who were going by helping out with some fundraisers. In order to pay for the trip the club hosted several fundraisers, including a fundraising night at the local Buffalo Wild Wings and a bake sale that was held in the Health Careers building. And right now several members are making plans to visit WSU for a movie special on black holes and supernovas, and plans are also being made for a potential trip this semester similar to the Chicago trip.
As someone who has never participated in a school club, this has been an amazing experience, and I’m truly looking forward to what the club has plans for next. This club isn’t just for astronomy majors; this is a club for anyone who is curious or has an interest in astronomy and wants to have fun with some amazing people who share that interest. I’m truly looking forward to what the club has planned next, and I encourage anyone and everyone to take a look as well.