Mini Anteater Involvement Fair connects students with campus organizations

The UCI Office of Campus Organizations & Volunteer Programs (COVP) connected students and campus organizations during their long-awaited annual mini Anteater Involvement Fair (mini-AIF) on Jan. 14. Located in the Middle Earth Towers’ Dome of Stars, the fair featured over 70 campus organizations ranging from cultural clubs, academic groups and Greek life.

For attending students, mini-AIF presented a unique opportunity to meet face-to-face with UCI’s campus organizations, according to third-year human biology student Milly Hernandez. 

“I decided to visit mini-AIF because I didn’t get a chance to go to Fall AIF last quarter. I wanted to get a sense of more clubs on campus because it’s really hard to find clubs if you’re not active on social media,” Hernandez told New University. “Being a third year, this was a good opportunity to get involved, meet new people and network for the future.” 

Participating student organizations greeted students with colorful decorations, promotional materials and prize incentives. According to Secretary of UCI’s Circle K International Chapter Ethan Hong, his club approached mini-AIF intending to establish new connections and expand their presence at UCI. 

“I think all of the club leaders who are boothing really care about their organizations and seeing that passion in person — all the exciting talking and chatter inside, along with all the students who are interested in joining these clubs — really builds a really exciting and bubbly event,” Hong told New University. 

Unlike Fall AIF, which spanned across the entirety of Aldrich Park with over 500 booths, mini-AIF was a more intimate experience. According to COVP Campus Orgs Activities Coordinator Lyla Agarwala, finding a way to fit all 70 clubs in the indoor space  posed a logistical challenge for student turnout. Agarwala worked alongside fellow Campus Orgs Activities Coordinator, Vivian Dinh, as one of the primary organizers of mini-AIF. 

“When planning mini-AIF, the first thing Vivian and I considered was what our theme was going to be, since we would center a lot of our marketing materials based on what the theme would be,” Agarwala told New University. “After that, we started contacting clubs around October, asking if they wanted to participate in mini-AIF. And from there, we started narrowing down clubs so we could make a layout for the room.”

Mini-AIF reflects the COVP’s commitment to “empower students to discover and nurture their talents and interests to influence campus spirit and community culture.” According to COVP Assistant Director Kathy Dong, the event also addresses growing student demand for in-person events following COVID-19.

“We’re in a place where [COVP] is trying to get things back to more in-person experiences, which is what we’ve been doing these past few years,” Dong told New University. “When they are in-person and interacting with a student org, students get a really nice personalized touch, and they will be more likely to check out other meetings or socials moving forward.”

Dong and COVP Director Darlene Esparza oversaw the event’s operations and assisted with student check-in. During mini-AIF, they observed a connection between students and organizations through a constant flow of attendees. 

“And I think it’s true, you learn more about yourself by participating in these organizations because you get to be with like minded people that have the same similar interests,” Esparza told New University. “With over 600 clubs, you’re bound to find something unique, or you create something of your own that you want that doesn’t exist, and make it your own.”

To showcase volunteer and career opportunities to students, COVP’s future events include the Community Service & Leadership Fair on Jan. 22 and Celebrate UCI, a club showcase to welcome prospective first-years, on April 20. Students can refer to UCI Campus Groups for COVP’s upcoming events.

Skyller Liu is a Features Intern for the winter 2025 quarter. He can be reached at skyllerl@uci.edu.

Edited by Alyssa Villagonzalo and Kaelyn Kwon.

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