Drawn in by cupcakes and candy, students huddled around the Multicultural Club table. More than 30 student clubs gathered in Patriot Plaza on Friday, Aug. 20 during lunch. Different organizations used the Club Rush event, which was sponsored by the Associated Student Body, to promote their activities and encourage other students to join. Members from the Multicultural Club wanted to convince all students the club was a safe space with reassurance on any concern they had.
“I was asked to start a Black Student Union club. I looked around and said we have all these clubs that are all separate entities but do we have something that brings everyone together? So that’s when I wanted to start a club for everyone,” Multicultural Club founder and Security Guard, Tido Smith, said.
Smith knew having clubs that separate people by their ethnicities wouldn’t bring people together. In addition to wanting to bring students together, he decided he wanted to also teach students about their background and cultural histories. While teaching everyone about each other the club became a place to bring people together. It also became a place to learn about how similar everyone is, hoping to change the community in a positive way.
“I feel like the newer classes that are coming in are growing in diversity. I think it’s important in a country that is built off multiple ethnicities and backgrounds that we recognize all the different cultures. I think it’s also important to recognize all the smaller communities that built up the school,” Multicultural Club President, Efrain Landin, 12, said.
While there are many cultures in this society, the multicultural club is trying to help people recognize everyone has similarities and to recognize they have differences that also make them different from other clubs. The multicultural club wants to help spread positive energy. Make a difference in the community with segregation to change other people’s perspectives as well that coming together is okay
“I think it is important to let people know how there are other communities on campus and in Escondido, to not just brush them under the rug and not acknowledge them,” Multicultural Club Vice President, Jaselle Boyd, 12, said.
Boyd said their main goal is to have this club change society in a positive manner like learning to not judge one another by the way they look. The multicultural club knows it starts with a small community like a school. Ladin says more than 70 students signed up for the club by the end of lunch with the help of some cupcakes, candy, and stickers.
“It was really hard to get people to sign up. I had to walk around handing out papers and the snacks also helped grab their attention,” Sophia Beltran, 12, said.
