One hundred and twenty students signed up for the newly introduced Trader Joe’s Club at Grant High School’s most recent club fair. Founders Olive Raak, Hadley Youngers and Calista Lattal say this number exceeded their expectations.

The Trader Joe’s Club held its first meeting at lunch on Friday, Nov. 12 in Room 104. The room was so full that many students attending had to stand or sit on the floor. The club is as straightforward as the name suggests with the aim to provide a lighthearted space to hang out and socialize.

“I think our main goal is just to create a community of people that like Trader Joe’s, and just to make more friends,” Raak says.

Grant junior Margot Kalmanson is a friend of Raak and the head of UterUS, Grant’s period club. While Kalmanson is not an official leader of the Trader Joe’s Club, she is considered an honorary founder by Raak and is excited about the opportunities that the club will offer its members.

“You’re building memories. … You’re not only meeting new people, but you’re sharing an experience with them, which is awesome,” says Kalmanson.

At Grant, anyone can start a club. Even with this opportunity, however, few students choose to. Some people, however, such as Raak, Youngers and Lattal, have put the time and dedication into crafting a community which they truly care about. In this pursuit, club leaders can find and collaborate with fellow peers who have also directed their passions into clubs, furthering the diverse student culture of Grant.

“I think it’s great that people have these passions that they can turn into clubs and they can unite people through them,” Kalmanson says.