Algonquin College’s speed friending event brings students together in less than two hours
As midterm season ends and the end of winter term gets closer, Algonquin College becomes a busy place. Students are stacked with assignments, glued to their laptops and can’t make time to socialize.
But it is always important to socialize and connect with others.
On March 12, the Student Health & Wellness Zone in the E-building hosted Speed Friending. The event was similar to speed dating but for friends rather than romantic partners. It ran from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the AC Hub and was the perfect opportunity for students to have fun conversations, mingle and make new friends.
“I’ve been attending a lot of social activities and events like this this semester. Like a week ago, I saw that there was a new friendly activity coming so I just decided to show up,” said Sameer Garg, a Level 4 bachelors of engineering, automation and robotics student. “I love to connect with people, make new friends and get to know new people.”
The event was set up just like any traditional speed dating event, where participants sat across from each other with a provided stack of question cards. They had five minutes to chat with each person before the timer went off and everyone switched. Many great conversations were shared in that hour.
After the speed round, everyone helped themselves to some free pizza, followed by free time to chat in groups with everyone they had just met.
“I think they should do these events more often, maybe like once a month,” said Yug Patel, a TV broadcasting student.
Luckily, there will be more opportunities for students to join the fun. Another speed friending event is scheduled on April 9 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
These events hold significant importance to students, especially when there are so many things making it harder to connect with others in person these days.
“Now with social media, a lot of people spend time on their phones. They’re not in tune with nature or the outdoors and they’re not participating in actual events,” said Keon Eberhardt, a Level 2 horticulture student.
Correction, March 24: A previous version of the story said the event was hosted by the Algonquin Students’ Association. The event was hosted by the college’s Student Health & Wellness Zone.
