Why Two Students Founded Their Own Clubs

Pictured: Simranjit Kaur leads a meeting of Girl Up, a group she started at NYIT spring 2018.

Even before he came to NYIT, freshman Shubhang Jani wanted to create a place where students could develop their personal and business skills. In her sophomore year, Simranjit Kaur decided to create a club focused on women’s advocacy.

Now, as presidents of their respective clubs, Jani and Kaur are making a difference on campus, creating new ways for their classmates to get involved, and contributing to the NYIT student experience.

Find out what inspired each of them to establish their clubs and learn more about how students can start their own.

Simranjit Kaur is the founder of the NYIT chapter of Girl Up.

Simranjit Kaur
Girl Up

Thinking About Starting Your Own Club?

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Assign a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, and senator who will represent the club at all Student Government Association (SGA) meetings.
2. Recruit at least 10 members.
3. Find and delegate a faculty or staff advisor.
4. Contact the SGA (see below for contact information) to fill out an application and state why your club will be an asset to NYIT.

After you’ve completed these steps, the SGA will review your application and vote whether to establish it.

To start a club at NYIT-New York City, contact the Office of Student Engagement at studentengagementnyc@nyit.edu or call 212.261.1509. You can also reach the SGA directly at sganyc@nyit.edu.

To start a club at NYIT-Long Island, contact the Office of Student Engagement at studentengagementli@nyit.edu, or the SGA at sgaow@nyit.edu.

“I never imagined I would start an organization at college,” says sophomore Kaur, president and founder of NYIT Girl Up. As a freshman, she felt out of place when she first came to campus. “Although I love the small community vibe at NYIT, I felt very overwhelmed by the transition from high school to college, and I decided I wanted a break from stressing out about tests and papers.”

Using that small community vibe to her advantage, she decided to become a student leader. She heard about Girl Up from her classmate Juliana Niyazov and something clicked. “Girl Up is the United Nation’s campaign that focuses on securing equal fundamental rights for adolescent women in developing countries such as Malawi, India, Uganda, and Ethiopia,” she explains.

She set about creating a chapter of Girl Up at NYIT in spring 2018. “Starting a women’s empowerment and advocacy club was the only thing I could see myself creating,” she says. By fall, it was an established club on campus. “Girl Up is not only something I was able to establish here and something that I run,” she says, “but it is also becoming a way for future presidents and vice presidents [of the club] to be great leaders and create change as well as spread awareness at NYIT.”

NYIT Girl Up has approximately 80 members and continues to grow with each meeting. “We have an amazing social media coordinator who tries to follow and interact with as many NYIT students as she can…We aim to make events fun and educational,” Kaur says. The group hosts discussions and events to educate the NYIT community on women’s issues and also holds bake sales and movie nights.

Kaur describes herself as a “headstrong person” and is determined to make Girl Up at NYIT a place where students can interact with classmates and make a difference. “Being able to help others less fortunate than myself and educating others in the community on the struggles women face around the world was one of the biggest reasons I was attracted to the organization,” she says. “We are currently trying to reach a fundraising goal of $500 to send 25 girls to school in Uganda for the first time.”

The Life Sciences/Osteopathic Medicine major has great ambitions post-graduation and believes that this experience will help her succeed as a physician. “This experience has provided me with leadership skills that I feel will be especially applicable in my career, such as team management, delegating tasks, and being able to get through to people about my mission,” she says. “Starting a club about something you are passionate about can be very gratifying and enjoyable and a great way to network with others who share your vision.”

To learn more and to join, visit clubs.girlup.org.

As a freshman, Shubhang Jani founded NYIT Ventures. The organization launched in January 2019.

Shubhang Jani
NYIT Ventures

“Before I started my first semester, I had the urge to start something new and innovative,” says Jani, a first-year information technology student. His idea was a club focused on entrepreneurship and technology that gave fellow students the chance to network, develop their careers, and explore new things.

The resulting club, NYIT Ventures, launched in January 2019. In just three months, he has signed up 72 members.

Each week, NYIT Ventures invites a keynote speaker to talk to the group, “[The club] emphasizes business networking and soft skills, innovative research, and mentorship,” Jani explains. For example, author, entrepreneur, and global speaker Ramon Ray (B.S. ’07) met with the club in February to talk about ways to improve personal branding and networking, as well as how to leverage social media, big data, and analytics for start-ups.

Through NYIT Ventures, Jani hopes to create a place for students to connect with likeminded students. “We are living in a very competitive and fast-paced environment,” he says. “I strongly believe that NYIT students should be informed and exposed to the importance of networking and people skills. NYIT Ventures can help them.”

Shubhang Jani, seated at left, leads a discussion with Ramon Ray (B.S. ’07).

Jani is no stranger to starting clubs. In high school, he started ULTRA<code>, a STEM organization focused on software and hardware development. “Upon graduation, I knew I needed to do the same at NYIT, except that it would be at a much larger scale.”

Jani’s goal for NYIT Ventures is for each member to walk away with skills they can use as they enter the workforce. “I want each of our dedicated members to finish each semester with networking exposure, valuable insight from our top-notch keynote speakers, better people skills, and increased knowledge in entrepreneurship and emerging technologies,” he says. He’s also learning from the experience. “This has taught me the reality of starting new business ventures—at a smaller scale obviously—where the risk is high and the reputation is all dependent on how you present yourself to the institution and student body…Regardless of your major, I encourage every student to consider joining NYIT Ventures. It may open up new opportunities and skills that you may have never thought of before.”

To learn more and to join, visit nyventures.org.