Jena Yanagihashi, student leader of the Programs and Activities Council (PAC), hosted a speed friending event in September. The goal for this event was to “make friends and for students not to be lonely.”

With already prepared questions set on the table to help ease the stress of breaking the ice with someone new, students made conversation and made new friends.

Yanagihashi said the idea came from her past experience of coming to a community college and knowing no one. As a freshman last year, Yanagihashi had a hard time meeting and making friends.

Compared to a four-year college, where students often live in close-proximity to others in dormitories, at a community college like ours students simply show up to their classes and leave. This has the potential to leave students devoid of opportunities for connection with their classmates or fellow students on campus.

Yanagihashi noticed there were no events that were geared towards making friends on campus, so she thought it would be good to create an event to curtail that.

She placed the event at the main entrance of the Truax building, hoping it would attract more students to come join the event.  About 55 students, all around the age of 20, attended the event.

Yanagihashi was pleased with how the event went and hopes to do something similar again, possibly setting up a speed dating event during the week of Valentine’s Day. 

She felt the event was a good push to help students make new friends and talk to other students outside of the classroom.