Digital Den 10 Spot: Study and Club Hub with Karizmah King

Need a little accountability to tackle that assignment, a study buddy, or simply some company while you work?

In this Digital Den: 10 Spot, Andria talks with Karizmah King, Global Campus student and leader of Study and Club Hub, about a student organization that blends dedicated study time with connection and community.

Karizmah shares what happens during a typical meeting, how students can connect with classmates and study buddies, and why you don’t have to be struggling academically to find a place in the club. Plus, hear what’s coming up for Study and Club Hub and Karizmah’s 10-second pitch for why Global Cougs should give it a try.

Resources:

• Visit the Study and Club Hub on Involve
• Complete the interest form

For questions about the Digital Den, please email global.podcast@wsu.edu.

Episode Transcript

Andria Donnenwerth: Welcome to 10 Spot, a Digital Den feature where we give a Global Campus student organization a few minutes in the spotlight so you can discover another way to connect with the Global Cougar community.

Today, we’re talking about a club that brings together two things Global Campus students could probably all use a little more of: connection and dedicated time to actually get studying done.I’m joined by Karizmah King, leader of the Study and Club Hub. Karizmah, welcome to the Den.

Karizmah King: Hello. Thank you for having me.

Andria Donnenwerth: Yes, thank you for being here. Karizmah, before we get started, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and the Study and Club Hub? What would you want a Global Coug who’s never heard of the club to know?

Karizmah King: I’m a psychology major here at Global Campus. I’m a junior, and I have also been a student ambassador for about a year and a half.

Study and Club Hub was made to be a place where students can connect. It can be isolating as a Global Campus student, and many students feel like they have to compromise between being involved in clubs or spending time doing schoolwork. This club allows you to do both. One thing I would say to someone who has never heard of our club is that we are very welcoming and always happy to see new members join.

Andria Donnenwerth: I do hope that you get new members joining, Karizmah, because you’re creating such a wonderful space that combines connection and studying.

Your meetings combine conversation about classes and assignments with dedicated silent study time, and students can even use breakout rooms to connect with study buddies. Walk us through what someone might experience when they come to a typical Study and Club Hub meeting.

Karizmah King: If you attend a Study and Club Hub meeting, we start with introductions, especially since we have a lot of new incoming students this semester. Students also have the option to join a breakout room at the beginning. We’ll have a fun icebreaker question and then do a check-in. These check-ins can change from time to time, but right now we are focusing on goal updates. This is the time for us to share what we have accomplished this semester, either personally or academically.

Later today, I will be announcing that I passed my driving test. I think this time is important because we get to see others accomplish their goals and get to know each other on a deeper level. We are all a part of the process together. Going back to my example, many members chipped in and gave me advice, especially after I failed the first time. Lastly, we get to the studying portion. A lot of students like to share what they are working on, and then at the end we update what we accomplished and say our goodbyes.

Andria Donnenwerth: It sounds like an incredible space you’ve created, Karizmah, and congratulations on passing your driver’s test! Study and Club Hub can come together to help you with an academic course, but also with real-life situations, like helping you pass your driver’s test. That’s incredible community support right there.

What really caught my attention is that your club works to collect course information so you can help connect students who may be taking similar classes. How does the study buddy piece work, and what are you hoping students get from those connections?

Karizmah King: All members have the option to share what classes they are taking so they could have a potential partner to work through the class together, of course keeping cheating and plagiarism rules in mind. Something I also want students to get out of it is advice. Say you see someone taking a class that you have already taken. You can give them pointers, advice, and tips that you wish you would have known.

Andria Donnenwerth: So, despite the word study being in the name, you’re not necessarily all about coursework, textbooks, or assignments. You also host things like game night. How does the club balance academic support with giving students a place to simply socialize and get to know other Global Cougs?

Karizmah King: That’s a great question, and we are actively navigating that. Having an amazing co-lead makes this possible. After our usual check-ins, we usually have study time, but if the group expresses that they would like to chat more or play a game, we can easily send my co-lead and the students who would like to quietly study into a breakout room. We can be very flexible. Like you mentioned, we try to hold special events so we can have fun outside of our regular meeting times.

Andria Donnenwerth: What an amazing place to connect and actually learn with each other. Who do you think would benefit most from the Study and Club Hub? Do students need to be struggling with a class or looking for tutoring, or is this really for anyone who just wants some accountability, connection, or company while working through school?

Karizmah King: This club is definitely for anyone who wants some company while completing assignments. Whether you are having trouble in your courses or feel like you are an academic superstar, there is a place for everyone. Again, we want all Global Campus students to feel involved, so we would never want someone to feel like they don’t fit in. We are happy to have everyone.

Andria Donnenwerth: That’s great. It’s such a welcoming space. Whether you’ve been assigned a group project in class and choose to use the Study and Club Hub to connect, you’re just wanting to study on your own, or maybe not study at all and simply connect with somebody, what a great space.

I want to go back to something you mentioned. You shared that Spooky Trivia Night is coming up for the club. Tell us a little bit about what you’re planning and how students can participate.

Karizmah King: Our Spooky Trivia event is coming up on October 20. Spooky Trivia will include fun questions about fall activities and holidays to test your knowledge. Our top winner may be entitled to some extra points. We are also planning to have time to share our favorite fall places and recommendations in Washington state. So, if you know a place where other Cougs may have fun, please bring that along with you.

Andria Donnenwerth: You mentioned points. Those points are for the Involvement Store, right, Karizmah? Students can collect those points and turn them in at the end of the year for a flag or maybe even Cougar Gold cheese. What a fun way to earn more.

You also shared that you’ll be handing off the club leadership responsibilities in December. As you look toward that transition, what do you hope students know about the community that’s been created, and where would you like to see Study and Club Hub go next?

Karizmah King: I hope students know that this community was created with them in mind. I am so happy that more students are coming and enjoying themselves. What I hope Study and Club Hub will do next is continue recruiting new members. I want to see this club continue to expand so we have new ideas on how to transform this club. I don’t want people to just pick up where I left off, but to keep adding more visions while building connections.

Andria Donnenwerth: That’s great. I think it’s amazing, too, because students on a physical campus can go to a club or the library, find their study group, and naturally have that place to study. Sometimes for our online Cougs, it can be hard to find that dedicated time or to have that accountability. What a great space to not only help our students study, but also connect to the Cougar community at large.

If someone listening wants to check out Study and Club Hub, find a study buddy, or come to an upcoming meeting, what’s the best first step?

Karizmah King: I would say filling out our interest form is always the best first step to get added to our roster and Teams chat. You can also just come to one of our meetings and express that you would like to become a member. I don’t think there is a wrong way to become a member. I would highly recommend that you check out our organization page to read some of our regulations and become familiar with our vision.

Andria Donnenwerth: That’s great, and we’ll include the link in the description of this episode. All right, Karizmah, it’s time for our signature question. You’ve got 10 seconds to convince a fellow Global Coug to check out Study and Club Hub. What do you say?

Karizmah King: College is hard, but it is also harder to not have anyone helping you along the way. Take that first step and meet some of the amazing people we have at Global.

Andria Donnenwerth: That’s incredible. Great job. Karizmah, thank you for joining us and introducing us to the Study and Club Hub.

Karizmah King: Thank you for having me.

Andria Donnenwerth: Whether you’re looking for some accountability to finally tackle that assignment, hoping to find someone taking the same class, or simply want a place to connect with other Global Cougs, Study and Club Hub gives you a place to do a little of all three. We’ll include information about the club, its interest form, and upcoming opportunities to connect with this episode.

This has been 10 Spot from Digital Den. Until next time, Go Cougs!