Multiple new clubs were introduced to Christopher Newport University students in the past two semesters, including the Bejeweled Beads Club. The club’s creative name has had quite a history. Sophomore E-board member Lara Elkhalifa explained the name came from a popular Taylor Swift song, “Bejeweled.” “At first, it was just a joke, because we started out with creating friendship bracelets, so we put Bejeweled and Beads together,” she said.
The Eboard chairs, which also include Sophomores Abby Travis and Steph Abrego, have been running the club since last semester. When asked the reason for starting the club, Elkhalifa explained they all enjoyed making bracelets during Swift’s Eras Tour last year and quickly became obsessed. When they discovered there wasn’t a club at CNU that made jewelry, they decided to create one.
The club is designed as a way for students to make friends and bring their creativity to life. “We strive to have a nice environment…it’s not necessarily a place where you have to talk or have to do certain things. It’s a place to go to feel relaxed and make jewelry,” Travis said.
The E-board explained that the creation of the club was more time consuming and stressful than originally planned, but they all were looking forward to the first meeting. “We all pitched in and looked online to find good supplies for the club. I remember we bought this big tin with all types of beads in it and we cut them off the string to use,” Abrego said.
The group also shared the ups and downs in creating a club. Abby explained that it’s a time commitment that requires constant scheduling and responding to emails, “[But] it’s a great way to meet new people and it’s not that hard of a process [if you’re ] willing to try and put yourself out there,” she said.
Ever since its creation, the club strives to be a place to make new friends and take a break from the difficulties of college. “We have around 16 members as of right now, and we all hope that our club will continue to grow,” Elkhalifa said.
The club meets every other Monday from 7:00pm to 8:00pm, with the next meeting on Feb. 26.
