A Glimpse Into Club Life at Centenary

Are you looking to join a club to make friends and connect with like-minded individuals who share your interests? Not sure what clubs are out there? Here’s an overview of some of the clubs at Centenary.

CU Tennis Club

“I’ve been playing tennis with my mom since I was a little kid. She taught me everything I needed to know,” said Carlee Nigro, president of the CU Tennis Club. 

The CU Tennis club is a new club that began in Spring of 2025. They saw a surge of members, currently at 20, after the Involvement Fair where clubs had the chance to advertise themselves to the campus.

With the guidance of fellow tennis enthusiast and president of Centenary University, Dale Caldwell as their advisor, they plan to play tennis at the Hackettstown High School court, or at the Reeves Gym here on campus.

They currently do not have a meeting time set, but they plan to begin playing in full force on the weekends by the end of October, with the goal of eventually playing in front of an audience and hosting their own tournaments.

If you’re interested in joining or want to learn more information, you can contact carlee.nigro@centenaryuniversity.edu 

Evergreen Club

“I’ve always been an environmentalist at heart. I’ve always been one to advocate for the preservation of our environment,” said Jordan Henderson, president of the Evergreen Club. 

Founded by Ashley Buchman, the Evergreen Club is currently home to 37 individuals who love and care about the environment that surrounds them. 

The Evergreen Club meets every Tuesday from 2-3 p.m. and often finds themselves on hiking trails, going on visits to botanical gardens, and making an effort to preserve the space around them. 

“Every semester I start off the activities with some sightseeing. Because people won’t protect something they don’t understand,” said Henderson. “By doing a hike or going to a botanical garden, they can see exactly what our mission is.”

Every year, the club does a bake sale at the annual fall Bonfire on campus. They continued their sale for Alumni and Family Day as well. 

You can contact jordan.henderson@centenaryuniversity.edu if you’re interested in joining, or for more information.

Persuasive Creation Craft Club

“We like to motivate each other to finish our projects, and maybe introduce to one another our hobbies and socialize while doing it to get the drive to finish,” said Rosanna Richardson, president of the Persuasive Creation Craft Club.

The Persuasive Creation Craft club is where you can let your creativity shine. Whether you have a personal project that you want to finish, or you just want to relax with some of the prepared paint by number sets, you can take a break in this corner of the library.

Founded this August, the Persuasive Creation Craft Club is very new with around 5-10 members. They meet every Friday from 1-3 p.m. where you can stay as long as you like and express your creativity.

Currently, there are some Halloween and fall-themed crafts available for anyone to try their hand at, such as creating a scarecrow centerpiece, and ghost-themed crafts.

Members are welcome to lead their own craft events as well. If there is a craft you are particularly good at and would like to teach others how to do the same, you are more than welcome to do so. 

“I would think there are a lot of creative people here who would like to be able to do their projects with others. To socialize and get inspiration and ideas from others,” said Richardson. 

If you’re thinking about joining or want to learn more, you can contact rosanna.richardson@centenaryuniversity.edu 

Pre-Vet Club

“We try to diversify our members’ knowledge in the veterinary field,” said Kayla Lima, co-president of the Pre-Vet Club. “We have a lot of different events where members can learn a bunch of different things. We have our volunteer events where they can learn basic husbandry of the animals there.”

With 24 members, the Pre-Vet Club is the place for those who have a love for animals, regardless of if you are a Pre-Vet student or not.

“We say that you have to like animals,” said Justice Chiappetta, co-president of the Pre-Vet Club. “It’s really just about having a love and passion for helping animals.”

The Pre-Vet Club meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 6:15 p.m. As a member, you must volunteer at either Father John’s Animal House in Lafayette or Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation and Learning Center in Monroe County, PA. Or both if you’re up for it.

The club hosts guest speakers from other colleges come out and speak to the members. At the beginning of the semester, they had Dr. Fugaro from the Equine Center give an informative talk about veterinary medicine.

You might have noticed that there are bins scattered around campus. The Pre-Vet Club is running a donation drive for Father John’s Animal House that is ongoing until the end of the semester. The pick-up locations can be found in Trevarro, Seay, Lackland, and at the Equestrian Center. They are looking for cat and dog food, and cleaning supplies are requested.

If you want to learn more or inquire about joining, you can contact either co-president kayla.lima@centenaryuniversity.edu or justice.chiappetta@centenaryuniversity.edu 

Rolling Thunders Bowling Club

“We go to the bowling alley around the evening, so that students can enjoy a nice get together before the start of the week. A lot of students enjoy doing something on Sundays since it’s pretty quiet on campus,” said Nick Storms, president of the Rolling Thunders Bowling Club.

On quiet Sunday evenings, why not land a strike in the alley to prepare for the week ahead and ace your assignments?

Rolling Thunders is a new club that sets out to help students socialize and network, while also encouraging them to build long lasting team coordination skills all while enjoying a night of bowling. 

The Bowling Club, currently with 21 members, meets on Sundays and sometimes Wednesdays at 7 p.m. to head to the nearest bowling alley and have a fun night together. 

“I want students here to feel a part of something,” said Storms, “I started Rolling Thunders because I wanted students to feel a part of the movement and start a culture movement in the community.”

Rolling Thunders is planning on collaborating with the CU Tennis Club in order to sell milkshakes and fundraise for cancer charities.

“Be sociable. Don't be afraid. Put yourself out there and be confident,” said Storms, “You’ll run into some people who have the same passions as you. It’s a big world we live in. If you’re quiet, you won’t learn how to network. Networking is a key skill. You never know who you can meet.”

If you’re interested in joining Rolling Thunders or want to learn more, you can contact nicholas.storms@centenaryuniversity.edu

Volleyball Club

“We’re branching out into more community involved activities. I want to play with outside leagues, random people, so we can all play and enjoy volleyball together,” said Jordan Henderson, president of the Volleyball Club.

Whether you’re a longtime player and looking for a community to play some games in your free time, or if you’re a beginner looking to learn, the volleyball club is open to any and all.

The Volleyball Club is still in its early stages and currently has 15 members. They meet every Thursday from 9-11 p.m. to play a match together. 

If you’re interested in joining or learning more, you can contact jordan.henderson@centenaryuniversity.edu or vice-president nevaeh.okeefe@centenaryuniversity.edu or show up to one of their meetings.

There’s a wide variety of clubs on campus. These are but a few. For a larger list of clubs, you can visit Get involved in life at Centenary University. This list is currently incomplete, so keep an eye out for  flyers around campus or ask a faculty member about what clubs are active, or maybe even start a new one and add to this list.