By Abigail Zenko
Founded by ACC continuing students Neil Larson, Kolten Powell, and Rene Avila, Connection Point acts as an intermediary between Student Life and students, helping them start their own clubs, activities, and communities. While other Student Life organizations focus on obvious specificities, Connection Point branches out into various community activities as chosen by club members. The founders allow students freedom of choice and keep them accountable to their goals. Under Connection Point’s banner, students can reserve rooms, set up tables, and use resources without navigating the student bureaucracy themselves.
On their reason for starting this student organization, Kolten said, “We just really care about students building more in-person community, in-person connections. Not only is it good for our mental health – it’s also good for this school. When you feel more like you belong, you’re more likely to want to come here, graduate, and finish your program here.”
Currently there are 25 clubs, groups, and/or communities created within Connection Point, as can be seen in their Discord server with over 300 members and over 10 active chats. These group chats meeting offline include Dungeons & Dragons, Bible Study Groups, Parents in College, Bouldering & Climbing and Volunteer Opportunities. Their Discord also has traditional group chats on various interests.
Other than these interactions led by other students, Connection Point founders also host their own events such as the Conversation Café. They provide free coffee and snacks every Tuesday from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the social staircase at the Highland campus.
“Hopefully, that will be another space where students can meet new people, make friends and talk about the topics or themes that matter most to us in life today,” Rene said.
A few years ago, the three founders noticed that ACC lacks central spaces for students to hang out and be loud, unlike traditional college campuses that have a cafeteria, student gym, dormitory, or lounge. Not many students were involved in clubs or organizations, either, and even if they wanted to, they didn’t know where to start. Within the diverse student body with varying schedules and commitments, individuals also didn’t know enough people to start their own clubs. If they did have enough people, the online process to create a club in mySL forms and other paperwork confused them. Additionally, post-COVID culture of distance and detachment, within a larger loneliness epidemic, dampened the social life in ACC.
“We’ve realized that most universities have dorms, fraternities, sororities, and all go to the same football game on the weekend – this is a different environment,” Kolten said. “I don’t think most people necessarily come to community college thinking, ‘I’m going to make my life-long friends here.’ Some people are coming here and back to work or back home to watch their kids or back to high school – it’s such a wide range of people here.”
“There needs to be more clubs!” Neil said, as he recounted the moment the realization hit.
“And so we thought, what if we started a group that would just help people get the ball rolling towards more connections?” Kolton said.
So far, increasing the number of clubs in the community has been working.
“We’ve seen that when people have the opportunities to make friends and build community,” Kolten said, “they tend to take it.”
Evan, the current leader of Connection Point’s most active group, Dungeons & Dragons, gave a recount of his experience at Connection Point, “I joined Connection Point in the Spring of 2025, and honestly I just wanted to see if I could connect with some people since I am usually a pretty shy and reserved individual. I also wanted to see if there was an actual D&D club, since I was looking for one at the time.”
“Overall, I’d say that Connection Point is great at bringing people together,” Evan said. “I have seen changes happening with the other people I’ve played with [as well]. Everyone is more comfortable talking with each other and expressing themselves, whether in or out of D&D.”
To get connected with Connection Point, message them through MySL or Discord. Alternatively, they have office hours every Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. by Highland Campus’s social staircase for students to stop by.