On Oct. 21, UHS ASB hosted the annual Club Kickoff event on the basketball courts. Fifty-eight clubs sold food, drinks, stickers and other items to raise money for club funds and increase publicity. The event allowed students to explore new interests at the club booths and for clubs to interact with prospective members.

To participate in Club Kickoff, clubs had to undergo many steps of planning to have everything in place. Board members had to coordinate with each other to determine the logistics of Club Kickoff, such as the products sold and financial forms for ASB. 

“Tennis Foundation had a discord server where all board members communicate and give input [on Club Kickoff],” senior and Tennis Foundation President Christina Zhang said. “We had two online and in-person meetings to finalize the food we are selling and costs.” 

Club Kickoff allows clubs to fundraise for the upcoming school year. Some service clubs use the money to donate to charitable causes or help fund future club events to allow members to pursue new opportunities in their fields of interest.

“She’s the First donates to female college students who require money to pay off [their] college [debt],” sophomore and She’s the First Treasurer Visha Nachiappan said. “The money generated from this event greatly improves the efforts of our club [for donations].” 

However, because the number of participating clubs went from 44 last year to 58 this year, there was a marked increase in competition. Clubs experienced more difficulty in selling all of their products and achieving their desired profits. 

“Despite not selling many of the Animal Fries we had, we were still able to make a small profit, but not as much as we’d hoped,” senior and HOSA Co-President Amanda Nguyen said.

Club Kickoff allowed students to sample the wide variety of clubs that are part of the school culture at UHS. Club members were able to network with students looking to purchase food and drinks and recruit them to support the club and pursue their passions. 

“My club members and I had fun marketing our items to students and bartering to convince them to buy,” junior and Academic Decathlon Treasurer Mackenzie Lee said. “We had a fun time laughing and making jokes with everyone as we sold our items.”

Students attending Club Kickoff enjoyed a unique lunch experience that included decorated booths, catered food and drink and club advertisement. 

“By complementing school spirit with an array of tasty food, Club Kickoff was an amazing event that felt like an extravaganza,” sophomore and Gray Matter Publicist Joshua Hsi said. “It was very fulfilling to see all of UHS come together to support clubs and bond with other students.”