By Jasmin Abdulaziz
Members of Lebanese Social Club from UC Santa Barbara attended a weekend retreat in Big Bear.
It was in my freshman year of college at UC Santa Barbara when a random fellow Gaucho by the name of Lea messaged me on Twitter saying “Come to Leb club with me and my friends!!”
My first thought was “What in the world is Leb club? And why should I go?”
I came to find out that “Leb club” was a shorter way of saying “Lebanese Social Club (LSC)” and I decided to go. It was a bit odd being a Syrian American joining a Lebanese club, but I was shocked to see how many Arabs from various Middle Eastern backgrounds were taking part.
Looking back, I know that becoming a member of this club was the single greatest decision I made during my time at UCSB. Coming from an Arab background, I found a strong sense of community in this organization with people who shared the same culture as me.
I was surrounded by those who shared the same music taste as me, whether it was our love for Lebanese artists Nancy Ajram or Fares Karam. We shared the same taste in food, the same values, and the same understanding of what it means to be an Arab in America. It was astounding to see what had flourished simply by stepping out of my comfort zone and attending a meeting with a room full of strangers.
Members of Lebanese Social Club cooked traditional Middle Eastern cuisine.
At the very first meeting, I recall the president of the club asking me to introduce myself. Immediately after, the 30 members made me feel like I was already a part of their family unit. They asked me questions about my life and genuinely wanted to get to know me. I knew I had found my friend group at UCSB because they made sure I felt included and appreciated.
When I think back on my first impressions of UCSB, all that comes to mind is “culture shock.” I came from the San Fernando Valley where there are immigrant communities from around the globe to Santa Barbara where the culture is more ethnically homogeneous. It became easy to feel excluded, wondering where I would fit in at a school with nearly 25,000 students.
According to the 2017-2018 Campus Profile, 39% of the 25,000 graduate and undergraduate students classified themselves as white, which is the largest group. The next highest ethnicity that year was the Chicanx/Latinx at 27%.
As for Middle Eastern students, the specific percentage is unknown. This lack of information in itself is telling. “The absence of statistical information on Arab Americans is a crucial component of the experience,” said Sherene Seikaly, an associate professor of modern Middle East history. She says that’s true at UCSB and in the larger society. “We fall between the cracks, and the categorization of our race and ethnicity has been dynamic and shifting.”
The invisibility of Arab Americans on campus initially made me think it would be hard to make friends with those from my ethnic background. But this proved an ungrounded concern of my shy and naive Freshman self. I was able to form friendships with anyone, regardless of ethnic background. All I needed to do was to put myself out there.
The “Leb” club helped me practice my culture at home and on campus while starting friendships with those of other ethnic backgrounds as well. The club gave me the chance to find a home away from home with those I now consider close friends of mine. The club taught us how to network within our community, and each meeting included tips for academic life at UCSB.
Although Middle Eastern students are a minority at UCSB, it was comforting to see that there was a cultural organization for us on campus. There are countless resources, clubs and organizations that are available at UCSB to students of all types, uniting us and helping us find our communities. The Lebanese Social Club was just one of those communities for me.
It provides a safe space for minorities and welcomes those from outside of the U.S. I have met remarkable people who lived in the Middle East and shared their stories with me. I gained a new perspective of my own background through the voices and experiences of others. Because I was born in the U.S., I lack knowledge about how life really is in the Middle East today, and through members of the club, I can now say I am more empathetic and aware.
This experience prompted me, and many others in the club, to take a class on Middle East Studies to learn more about my historical background and to take lessons on reading and writing the Arabic language.
Replying to Twitter messages from random people is important too. Fast forward three years, and that random Gaucho from the “Leb club” who contacted me because of my name is now my roommate and lifelong friend.
Jasmin Abdulaziz is a third-year student at UC Santa Barbara majoring in Communication and pursuing a minor in Professional Writing.