Clubs Create Community Connections
This year, Westmont students can get involved on campus through more than 40 different clubs, which cultivate the willingness and ability of students to lead and learn in all areas of life. The Campus Life Office oversees the clubs, which allow students to grow in venues beyond the classroom, collaborate effectively, be good stewards of their gifts, create a worthwhile vision, and lead with integrity.
President Benjamin Boggs and Vice President Maya Davis head the new Veterans Club, open to all students whether or not they’ve been in the military. Boggs, an Army Ranger veteran, served in the Georgia infantry at Fort Benning and the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. Davis hopes to become an Army officer while serving in the UC Santa Barbara Army ROTC Surfrider Battalion.
“We’re spreading the word that we welcome all students to the Veterans Club and that it can benefit them,” Boggs says. “I'll meet with club presidents at Santa Barbara City College and UCSB for better networking and will ask questions how we can grow our club.”
The Westmont Debate Club has returned under the leadership of Hans Khoe, who has registered about 40 students. “I’m glad so many people want to learn about debate,” Khoe says. “Hopefully, even more will hear about us when we have our first Socratic circle on the topic of homelessness. We’ll present possible solutions so people can understand different perspectives on the issue.” Khoe says he initially questioned whether he belonged at Westmont because he missed the comradery and competition of debate. “But as freshman year progressed, I saw God working in my life and understood why He led me to Westmont,” he says. “Now as a sophomore, I’m excited for all my classes while also sharing my passion for debate. I hope the club can live up to the standard of Westmont’s past Debate Club. Only through understanding different perspectives can we grow in our beliefs and worldview.”
Daniel Cerfogli leads the men’s rugby team with more than 20 players practicing and working out for games in the spring. “I’ve found a great group of friends who’ve supported me the past few years, and the rugby team has been a big part of that,” Cerfogli says. He hopes to play about four games in the spring. “We also want to improve our relationships with our alumni and have an alumni game as well.”
The women’s Polo Club includes four players with experience riding horses but none who’ve played polo. President Maggie Hine hopes to recruit a few more to build a more sustainable program with their talented coach, Jeff Scheraga at Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club. “He always says that if players have a good work ethic, he can teach them anything,” she says. “Everyone at Westmont has been so supportive of polo, and it makes a difference. The Westmont community is small but mighty. Being on a close-knit team with women who share your passion has been amazing and very formative. We constantly surprise people at the club with how uplifting and thoughtful we are, which reminds us how lucky we are to be at Westmont, where that is the norm.” The team seeks to create a highly competitive and long-lasting program that exhibits Christ-like behavior on and off the field. “In order to do that, we have to hold our faith, integrity and academics as the highest priority,” she says. “We do our absolute best to show what it means to be a Westmont Warrior in every way.”
The Ultimate Frisbee Club features a handful of players with prior experience playing either competitively or as a hobby. President Nathan Chen says he has explored and strengthened his faith through the diversity of people he has met at Westmont. “I have befriended people from many different cultural backgrounds, including Rwandan, Nigerian and Indonesian,” he says. “Being president of the Ultimate Frisbee Club allows me to interact with and lead other students I might not otherwise have met. Competing alongside this community of players for the past three years has been an absolute joy. I hope we’ll become find a competitively motivated and loving team that will continue to compete well against other public schools unfamiliar with Westmont.”
Westmont also boasts several sustainability clubs, including the Garden Club, the Student Environmental Action League or the Vegan and Vegetarian Club.