Club fairs are one of the best opportunities to engage with student organizations and find community within medical school. They allow students to discover new interests and learn about the student organizations available to them, who can help foster their passions and goals throughout their entire medical school career. By getting involved with clubs, students are not only growing their personal support system but helping to create a more connected student body as a whole. These events are also where many students are initially introduced to national organizations, such as ACOI, and the invaluable resources they provide. As President of the LUCOM Chapter of the Student Osteopathic Internal Medicine Association (SOIMA), I viewed our club fair as one of the most important events we would host, and I felt so grateful for the support we received from ACOI to make the event a success.
Our LUCOM club fair had 35 clubs and interest groups participate, and we saw an excellent turnout of first- and second-year students. The other members of the SOIMA Executive Board and I had such a great time answering questions, chatting with students as they signed up, and handing out free goodies and treats. ACOI so kindly provided us with complimentary first-aid kits, buttons, and sewing kits to hand out and the students absolutely loved them. We also held a prize raffle for all of the students who joined ACOI and that seemed to generate a lot of excitement and enjoyment. Overall, it was such an encouraging day to see so many future internal medicine physicians standing before us, and to gain so many new SOIMA and ACOI members. I am thrilled to continue serving as a part of SOIMA leadership and cannot wait to see how our club fair grows in years to come.
