Meet the Clubs of SMC
Learn about the many student clubs Santa Monica College has to offer.
On Thursday, Oct. 27, Santa Monica College (SMC) held a Halloween-themed Club Row on the main campus Quad from 11:15 a.m. to 12:35 p.m. Over 40 clubs set up tables along the walkway promoting themselves to hundreds of students by distributing flyers, selling treats for fundraising, and giving away prizes such as stickers, candy and school supplies.
Below is a collection of the many clubs SMC has to offer for students to join and become a member of.
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The Acting Club at SMC is a safe place for any actor to grow and develop in their skills. All levels are welcome and unique skill building exercises are accessible and encouraged for students in a safe environment.President Red O’Brian said “I want to extend kindness because the film industry is often cut-throat.”
The Acting Club values a pressure-free environment where students can partake in all sorts of exercises ranging from improvisation to collaborative scenes. Anyone is encouraged to join in this collective community and expand on their knowledge, skills, and references.
They have a discord channel, and the club meets every two weeks at the SMC Center of Media and Design. You can contact the club through their email at actingclub@protonmail.com or their linktree for room and Zoom information.
President Red O’Brian of the Acting Club posing with a mask next to an advertisement for The Pirate film made by SMC students. Acting Club is a club for any student who aspires to pursue a career in acting. Fall Club Row on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, at SMC Quad in Santa Monica, Calif. (Reis Novakovic | The Corsair)
Members of Santa Monica College's Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society, Ramsey Daniel (Inter-Club Council Delegate and Club Row Officer), Viola Zhao, Helia Javan, and Dustin Pranata Wangsawidjaja (rear) during Fall Club Row on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, at SMC Quad in Santa Monica, Calif. (Nicholas McCall | The Corsair)
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The Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society (AGS) is a club dedicated to providing students a space to learn leadership skills and helping students achieve academic and athletic excellence. AGS provides tutoring services for subjects such as math, science and business, and offers peer mentorships to help new students navigate college life. AGS meets online on Zoom every Thursday from 11:15 a.m. to 12:35 p.m., and from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. You can find them on their Instagram @AGSSMC and join their discord channel.“We're building leadership skills here. If you asked me to do this a few months ago, I would have not been able to do it. But they taught me how to speak to people, how to be a good leader and now I'm able to associate with my team and make Club Row as best as I can.” — Ramsey Daniel, Inter-Club Council Delegate
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The Computer Science Club is a beginner-friendly club focused on teaching students how to code and providing a social environment for students to engage with one another. Currently they are holding a Hackathon where students are learning how to use JavaScript and how to make calculators. They currently meet in room 252 of the Business building on Wednesdays for a hybrid Zoom meeting, alternating every week between 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. You can find them on Instagram @csclub.smc and on Discord.“I think it's just meeting people who have similar interests, especially with how lonely computer science is, with no in person classes, getting to know people who are learning the same thing as you and kind of have the same educational struggles is definitely nice.”
— Stephen Liu, Secretary
Members of Santa Monica College's Computer Science Club, Eric Zheng (Inter-Club Council Delegate, top left), Stephen Liu (Secretary, top right), Harley Nguyen (Publicist, front left), and Reshma Sheikh (Vice President, front right) during Fall Club Row on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, at SMC Quad in Santa Monica, Calif. (Nicholas McCall | The Corsair)
Members of Santa Monica College's Earth Science Club, Joy Santiago (Event Coordinator) and Naydelin Chimil (Vice President) during Fall Club Row on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, at SMC Quad in Santa Monica, Calif. (Nicholas McCall | The Corsair)
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The Earth Science Club is a club dedicated to spreading awareness about the Earth, the environment and how to care for it. The club hosts regular hiking trips, coastal clean-ups, workshops on teaching students how to code, and more. They meet on Fridays at 4:30 p.m. on Zoom. Their Instagram is @earthsci.smc, and you can join their discord channel.“My favorite part is probably the trips we go on. I think it’s very attractive, the areas that we get to take them, and getting to be outside in nature.” — Naydelin Chimil, Vice President
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The SMC Film Club welcomes a wide range of movie lovers. From those interested in watching movies to producing them, all are welcome and encouraged. The club hosts numerous challenges such as script writing challenges, such as a Horror movie script challenge around this time of year.
The President of the Film Club, Theo Francocci, plays Pico the Pirate in the "Life of a Corsair" series, and is also the director, producer and writer of the series. "Life of a Corsair" is available on the SMC Instagram page. This club, as Francocci put it, includes the treasure of “Networking! You get to create and be part of a film community.”
The club meets biweekly on Zoom from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. They have an Instagram and Discord, and can also be reached through their email at general@smcfilmclub.com.
Theo Francocci, President of the Film Club, which is for film appreciation, including watching, discussing, and making films. Fall Club Row on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, at SMC Quad in Santa Monica, Calif. (Reis Novakovic | The Corsair)
Future of Fashion Club Vice-Presidents, (L-R) Grace Fredette and Kimberly Mortensen dress up in costumes for Santa Monica College's Fall Club Row Halloween event on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, alongside club members, (L-R) Melanie Rodas, Kate Hudson. Fall Club Row is an event organized by the Inter-Club Council (ICC) and is being held for the first time in three years. Santa Monica, Calif. (Ee Lin Tsen | The Corsair)
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The Future of Fashion Club invites anyone interested in fashion to connect with them, providing students a community of resources. From feedback on outfits through their Instagram, to hosting guest speakers and attending events, the Future of Fashion Club is a wonderful community to be a part of for those interested in Fashion. Coming up are exciting portfolio workshops and guest speaker Brenda Cooper, who is a famous stylist. The club emphasizes the opportunity they extend by relaying fashion information to students, allowing them to get connected with countless references in Fashion. The club meets Thursdays on Zoom at 11 a.m., and can be reached through their Instagram @ffcsmcclub.
“You can never be overdressed or overeducated.”
— President Kimberly Motrensen, quoting author Oscar Wilde
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The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) is an honor organization that provides a space for first and second-year students to improve their leadership skills, perform community service and learn to be a part of the SMC community. NSCS holds workshops that help guide students in the college transfer process and hosts guest speakers that share career opportunities. NSCS meets online on Zoom every Friday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. You can follow them on Instagram @NSCSSMC and join their discord channel.“I think everyone should see themselves as high achieving students and consider themselves joining honors clubs, because no matter what you're going through, no matter what your life situation is, you are a student and a student is always looking for educational opportunities to empower themselves.” — Sheida Shayegani, co-founder and President
Members of Santa Monica College's National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Sheida Shayegani (President, top), Hannah Ahn (Vice President, middle), Brooke Stiebel (Social Media Manager, front left), and Holly Stiebel (Vice President of Community Service, front right) during Fall Club Row on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, at SMC Quad in Santa Monica, Calif. (Nicholas McCall | The Corsair)
NOMAS (National Organization of Minority Architect Students) members, (L-R) Anastasia Fortes and Artemisa Gjergro display 3D architectural models at the 2022 Fall Club Row event. The event is organized by the Inter-Club Council (ICC) and is being held for the first time in three years on Oct. 27, 2022. Santa Monica, Calif. (Ee Lin Tsen | The Corsair
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NOMAS, standing for the National Organization of Minority Architect Students, is a club for anyone with an interest in architecture and its appreciation. Because the field of architecture is currently very white male dominated, this club extends an opportunity for underrepresented groups to participate in the culture of architecture. The club hosts field trips, collaborations, and lectures.
Currently, the club is represented in an architecture competition, as club treasurer Artemisa Gjergro notes, “Our two club leaders are actually currently competing in the Nashville Competition.”
They meet on Wednesdays from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in room 272 at the SMC Center of Media and Design, and can be found though their Instagram @smcnomas or the national website.
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PERIOD. is a global nonprofit organization with a mission to end the stigma around periods and promote menstrual equity. The SMC club actively plays a role in service events where menstrual products are packed and distributed to the Bodega on campus. Kaia Susman, President of the club, shares she is currently working toward organizing a workshop event to supply free menstrual products to the Santa Monica community and educate people on how to use them.
The club members meet every other Wednesday at 4 p.m. on Zoom and can be found on Instagram @Period.smc, Discord, Linktree or reached via email at period.santamonicacollege@gmail.com.
To those interested in learning more or potentially joining, Susman says, “Come and try it. We’re a very friendly bunch and it never hurts to talk about a period, even if you don’t have a period.”
President Kaia Susman of the Period at Santa Monica College(SMC) Club at the club row event on the main campus of SMC on Thursday, Oct. 27 at Santa Monica, Calif. Period at Santa Monica College is a nonprofit club that strives to eliminate period poverty and stigma through service with the distribution of menstrual products. (Danilo Perez | The Corsair)
Enoch Lai, President of the Scriptwriting Club is joined with Mateusz Zymanczyk, Vice-President of the Film Club during the 2022 Fall Club Row. The event is organized by the Inter-Club Council (ICC) and is being held for the first time in three years since the pandemic. Oct. 27, 2022. Santa Monica, Calif. (Ee Lin Tsen | The Corsair)
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Scriptwriting Club allows students to expand on their skill and passion for writing all sorts of film productions. The club hosts biweekly challenges such as an anonymous script writing challenge. There are different themes, games and activities which are used to bring awareness to the entertainment industry and help students develop in their passions.
The club encourages students to explore in numerous directions and can be reached through their email at scriptwriting.smc@gmail.com or by visiting their linktree. They meet in hybrid Zoom meetings on Fridays from 5:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in room 272 at the SMC Center of Media and Design.
“Literature, English, history, psychology and even more can all be used in character development and making a good script.” — Enoch Lai, Vice President
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The Student Veterans of America (SVA) club at SMC aims to empower student veterans, and facilitate their professional, academic, and personal development.“Right now what we are trying to do is gain and attract awareness. We are looking for volunteers, we are looking for people to join, we are looking for people to study with, we are looking for everything. You don’t have to be a veteran to join us,” said club member Aaron Clayton
“We do a lot of community service to help veterans in need. We do a lot of fun stuff too, and we are trying to find more speakers to come talk to our members,” said club member Ray Pineda.
The SVA club meets every Monday at 1 p.m. in hybrid Zoom meetings, and in-person at the Veterans Success Center in the Cayton Building on the main campus.
Club members Ray Pineda (Left) and Aaron Clayton (Right), stand at the table for the Student Veterans of America club during Fall Club Row on Thursday, Oct. 27 at SMC Quad in Santa Monica, Calif. (Anthony Clingerman | The Corsair)
This article is being updated with continuing coverage of club spotlights and information.
