By As I walk across campus to my class, there is one deafening sound: silence. Despite the 200 to 400 students passing me by, no words are spoken. I don’t even think they notice me.
In a community of nearly 40,000 people, how is it that silence and headphones have become the predominant theme?
Meanwhile, my own thoughts grow louder. Do they know I am here? Do they recognize my struggles? Could a simple, kind word shift the course of my day?
Yet the silence endures as I huff along to class, where, once again, the loudest noise is silence.
During the pandemic, we turned to our phones for entertainment, and post-pandemic, we have continued this trend.
Social media has taken the place of genuine human interactions.
What if the biggest damage that COVID-19, smartphones and social media have caused is that they’ve conditioned us to stop talking — the very first step in forming meaningful relationships?
I thought to myself: I wish I had someone to talk to, someone who could hear my heart and offer support — or even just be a friend, understanding my emotional heartbeat.
In this sea of people, I feel lost, with no identity other than a student number. So, who will I be once I graduate?
In search of solace, I turned to the campus community.
As I browsed the multitude of clubs available through the Events and Organizations app, one in particular caught my eye: Alpha Omega, a Christian club at Long Beach State.
“At Alpha Omega Long Beach club meetings, we form life-long friendships while building a supportive community,” Ruben Glaser, a 21-year-old second-year business major, said.
Glaser has attended AO Long Beach club meetings for over two years.
“I love it. I love the community. I have made a lot of friends there,” Glaser said.
He spoke about his participation in a three-day fall conference with 300 other students from Southern California.
“The conference was amazing, there were a lot of lessons taught with valuable information,” he said. “AO Long Beach is more diverse than other clubs, with people from many different backgrounds.”
For Glaser, the friendships he has cultivated are what draw him in and keeps him coming back.
“For me, it’s more than a club; it’s a place where I learned how to be closer to God and to know Him, as well as building lifelong relationships,” Glaser said.
Fiorella Zuccarini, a second-year international studies major, has been a part of the club for two years.
“To be honest with you, I probably wouldn’t have any friends at Cal State Long Beach if it wasn’t for this community,” Zuccarini said.
We discussed how the pandemic and media had changed the way people interact, and Zuccarini expressed that it introduced fear, with many retreating behind their phones.
Sienna Corrales, a 19-year-old, second-year business economics major, has been attending AO club for approximately a year.
“I like attending as I meet new people and I have built a community there. I feel so loved there,” she said. “This club gives me an opportunity to dive deeper into my bible and understand exactly what is going on in there.”
When I attended a AO meeting, I was surprised at how welcoming the group was.
Though my schedule prevented me from attending regularly, I felt a part of the community that AO Long Beach has fostered.
As I waited for the club’s musical segment to begin, I listened to the noise of those gathered – almost deafening, echoing in the classroom.
Friends talked excitedly, happy to see one another. The sound vibrated on the walls, and I loved it.
Listening to Ruben De Anda, AO Long Beach’s guest speaker that night, I realized that this was no ordinary bible study.
De Anda was really introducing us to God – a good God, a loving father. The God I know – who’s rescued me time and time again. My constant, faithful friend Jesus – my true north.
