The smiles and laughs on the faces of those in attendance at the Park International Club first field trip to Main Event sent the clear message that students coming together outside of the classroom is great for a multitude of reasons.

President of the club, Ikem Eriobuna, senior and international business major, was happy with the turnout. “The night turned out to be a very successful night,” said Eriobuna. “Our plan was to accommodate 60 students but we ended up with a total attendance of 73 students. It was definitely a better turn out than what we expected.”

While this was not the first event the club held, it was the first field trip. After hosting a successful back to school bash earlier this year and weekly club meetings, it was expected in a way, that the club would once again bring students together in a fun and memorable way.

This was one of the main goals of the club and was largely why the club was founded this school year. A main pillar of the club’s inauguration was the desire to make students, especially those whom are from foreign countries, feel at home.

“As the President of Park International Club, I’ve dedicated my time and effort into building a better community and environment for not just Park international students, but also for Park domestic students,” said Eriobuna. “I am just trying to bring everyone together as one family to achieve all of our different goals.

“This bowling event was a part it. Lots of members in my club and even nonmembers have been complaining about the lack of many fun activities on campus. My executive board members took it on us to make sure their complaints are being listened to. Throughout the semester, Park International Club has used similar events to bring students together and I think this bowling event was just another successful one.”

Madisyn Degen, junior in psychology, attended the event and experienced this bringing of students together firsthand. “It was so much fun,” said Degen. “Between bowling, the games, and the buffet, it was an awesome night! I think it’s important for Park students to participate in activities outside of school in order to form better connections.”

For those who were unable to attend the trip to Main Event, the club has many other fun activities to look forward to. “We have quite some more events coming up in the future,” said Eriobuna.