JEWELRY MAKING CLUB
Delicately formed with rose gold wire, the ring is both easy to make and beautifully intricate resulting the project a clear favorite for Jewelry Making Club’s incoming co-presidents, sophomores Mihika Ghosh and Riya Mahajan. The two have previously managed the club’s materials for meetings and worked closely with their sales officer to plan and execute sales events. Though their initial motivations to join differed — Ghosh was inspired by her mother, who used to create jewelry, while Mahajan’s creative outlet included making candles — both noted that the club provided them with a forum to explore their creative interests.
“All my candles kept falling apart, so I had to ditch that, but I still wanted to keep making stuff,” Mahajan said. “I always knew I wanted to do something nonprofit-like, but I didn’t have the funding to do that. So when I saw Jewelry Club, I was like, ‘Dang, they have a really good proposal.’”
Jewelry Making Club primarily sells its products in the rally court, sharing its work with the school community. In addition, it has previously sold jewelry at Sunnyvale’s Teen Resource fair, donating profits to Tarikaa Foundation. They also integrated ways members could receive volunteer hours by making or selling jewelry. More importantly, officers emphasize Jewelry Making Club’s approachability, reiterating that it’s a space for all to learn a new craft.
“I know a lot of people think ‘I can’t go to Jewelry Making Club because I’ve never made jewelry,'” Ghosh said. “But we’ll teach you. We have videos and a lot of officers who all know how to make jewelry, so feel free to ask whoever you need.”
BULLET JOURNALING CLUB
Bullet Journaling Club, nicknamed BuJo, ends each of its club presentations with an uplifting quote. On Friday, March 27, that quote was from Serena Williams: “You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.” Providing a welcoming community for members to unwind is central to the club’s mission. Junior and frequent attendee Bhaavya Renukuntla was initially drawn to the club because of her friends’ involvement, but over the months, it has become an important part of her own routine.
“I don’t have access to all the felt and stuff, but the club usually provides it,” Renukuntla said. “It’s nice that we have that for free and that we get to explore all those different interests.”
Last year, Renukuntla and her friend junior Ruchika Varanasi used to come to Bullet Journaling Club before each of their chemistry tests to destress. Varanasi recalls that the sticker-making activity was her favorite — members’ creations ranged from small doodles to more elaborate line art and full-color pieces. Both members express how the club helps them take their mind off their academic responsibilities.
“Being creative helps me as an outlet for all the stress in general,” Renukuntla said. “Being able to do art and color and draw your friends, or make jokes and laugh and have a nice environment to do that in is very nice.”
ART CLUB
Art Club treasurer and junior Ruchika Varanasi was an informal member of the club for a couple years before she applied to be an officer. She describes being intrigued by the various crafts and projects the club hosted and how the friendly atmosphere encouraged her to step outside her comfort zone.
“A lot of the time, art clubs tend not to be as powerful in the sense that a lot of people don’t join,” Varanasi said. “It’s Monta Vista’s mentality, in a sense. So that’s why I want to try to destigmatize that, and then see if we can increase the membership by just showing them it’s just a fun place to relax.”
One memorable meeting includes a collaboration Art Club hosted with Bullet Journaling Club. Since many members of Art Club are also part of Bullet Journaling Club, the officer team set up a two-part series of collaborative meetings, in which attendees created clay sculptures at the first meeting, dried them for several weeks and painted them at the next meeting. Varanasi says this garnered a lot of attention from existing members while also bringing in new members. In both clubs, she sees the welcoming environment as a major strength.
“Our club is a space where there’s no judgment,” Varanasi said. “A lot of people think there is judgment in terms of participating in these clubs when you’re not the best at art. I personally am not the best at art either, but still I’m part of the club, and I still make a difference. These clubs are here for you to just relax and just make something to take your mind off the daily stresses of life.”
