My first year at college was really tough for me for all the wrong reasons. I was adjusting well in school and everything, but it was hard for me to make friends. I didn't have a solid group of friends that I did things with, and I flitted around lots of different groups of people; which isn't a bad thing, especially now that I'm glad to be able to call all of them my friends, but it left something to be desired. I missed the close-knit friendships I had back home, and I longed for them to exist beyond my friends from high school that were now scattered around the world.

Apart from classes, I busied myself with club activities freshman year. I didn't join a lot of clubs, just two, but I devoted myself to one, and that small commitment to a group of people with similar interests was all it took for my life to change. Anime had always been something I had regularly lost myself in, ever since I knew how to sit in front of a TV. When I got my first laptop, I frequented anime and manga websites in my free time (and most of the time sometimes, when I should have been doing work). It was something I was undeniably passionate about. I didn't know what to expect when I went to the club fair that all freshmen were coerced into going to that first week, but I never thought I'd find a community that I would eventually come to love.

Freshman me trying to dodge all the requests to join respective clubs at the fair.

I came to every Friday meeting Anime Club had that year. I didn't have any friends in the club at first, and that continued for a while, but it didn't bother me. It was the one thing I looked forward to on weekdays. Slowly but surely, I made friends with first the E-Board who was kind enough to approach me first, and then with club regulars. Without me knowing, this place had become like home to me. I couldn't imagine my life without all the friendships and bonds I'd made through this club freshman year.

Me skipping to OM403 at 5 p.m. on Fridays for Anime Club '14-15.

Toward the end of the year, I was approached by my friends on the E-Board who were graduating that year, who asked if I would be interested in becoming an E-Board member for the club next year. I had never thought about it before, but I didn't give it a second thought and decided I would give it a shot. I ran for two positions, Vice President and Secretary, and since elections ran top-down and I lost the position of VP to my friend, I got the position of Secretary, which after a year of holding, I now realize I'm better suited for and love a lot more.

Look at us new E-Board kids at this year's freshman club fair looking like we know what we're doing.

Needless to say, it was a struggle at first. None of us expected it to be so much work getting things up and running, but we were ambitious and relentless; we wanted to see our beloved club's presence grow on campus, and my fellow E-Board members went above and beyond in order to get us there.

This past year we managed to gain a higher member retention rate at regular meetings, added several new E-Board positions, started Manga Club meetings and, last but not least, we finally managed to gain access to our very own club room; one that is regularly used and has become an unspoken hang-out spot of sorts that members regularly convene at. Now that our first year as E-Board members is coming to a close, I couldn't be more proud of our little club that doesn't feel so little anymore.

Home is OM403 on Fridays at 4 p.m. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. (shameless plug number one).

I can't express how grateful I am to be unanimously re-elected to be Anime Club's secretary again next year. Even though it's been an overall stressful year juggling school, Anime Club, Odyssey and a social life, I wouldn't change a single thing. Joining this club has changed my life in more ways than one, and I'm so thankful to have been able to find a family in a community that has welcomed me in a way I one day want to welcome others in. I hope that you readers will be able to find such a place for yourself one day, too.

Your 2015-2016 Canisius College Anime Club E-Board in our beautifully decked out club room located on the second floor of the student center (shameless plug number two).

Contact me at crawfo17@my.canisius.edu or directly to animeclb@my.canisius.edu if you would like to be added to our mailing list to be updated on weekly goings-on! (We regularly use anime GIFs in our emails; they're so worth (shameless plug number three)).

#weebsquad