The Western Washington University Associated Students Club Activities Office, or Club Hub, held the annual Club Awards Gala on May 31.
Open to all, the Club Awards Gala is an event to recognize the achievements of all AS clubs on campus in the 2022-23 academic year.
Noah Schexnayder, AS vice president for activities, was involved with planning the event and selecting award winners. Schexnayder was excited to show the clubs some recognition for their hard work this year.
“They’ve done a lot of great events and there’s been a lot of great people involved,” he said.
Girl Gains, a club that encourages women and feminine-presenting people to get involved at the gym, was awarded the “most welcoming” club award.
“There’s so much stigma around being strong as a feminine-presenting person,” said Serena Calkins, president of Girl Gains.
Calkins has been involved with the club for around two years and appreciates the welcoming community it has created. The gym, which is a largely male-dominated space, can be intimidating for women and feminine-presenting people.
“It's been very nice to create a community of women and feminine-presenting people so you feel more comfortable going to the gym,” she said.
Girl Gains has had a successful year, with more than 150 people attending the club’s first meeting of the year and more than 60 attending the club’s first event.
Beyond encouraging people to start going to the gym, Girl Gains is a space for like-minded people to connect.
“We’ve heard so much feedback from our members saying that they’ve met some of their best friends through the club,” Calkins said.
At the Club Awards Gala, Calkins enjoyed getting together with other club leaders and celebrating each other’s achievements.
Thalia Coulter (she/her) is a campus news reporter for The Front. She is in her second year at Western and is a public relations major with a Spanish minor. When not on campus or at work, Thalia can be found grabbing a bite to eat downtown with friends. You can reach her at thaliacoulter.thefront@gmail.com.
