CCNY Student Holds “Let’s Be Friends” Sign in NAC Building
Words by Haileny Pereira Carvalho
Images by Jalin Robles
Going to college is nerve-racking enough, and making friends can make it harder. Political science major, Jalin “Jai” Robles, is a 20-year-old CCNY student who personally understands the struggle of making friends as a college student.
Students and staff on campus may recognize Jai as the girl who holds up a sign in NAC, inviting students to join her friend club. Sometimes her sign says something like, “Come talk to us! Be our friend.” Other times she writes, “Want friends?? Join Capybara Amici!!!”
Jai originally came up with the idea as a joke, but decided to take it seriously when her friend explained his difficulties making friends on campus. “At first I was joking around, but then my friend was complaining about how he wishes people would talk to him. So then that’s when I began holding up the sign in NAC, for myself and for people who wanted to make friends,” she explained. “Last semester I had trouble making friends, so I wanted people to be comfortable talking to me. I began holding up the sign the second day of fall semester.”
Initially Jai struggled to get people to speak to her, explaining that people found it “intimidating.” But after three days many students began to feel comfortable and began approaching her. Her courageous act garnered her attention within the CUNY community. “People from other CUNY schools have come to see what I was doing,” she said, laughing. “We made it a club because a lot of people began coming up to me. We have over 400 members.”
Jai aims to hold up the sign everyday or at least 3-4 times a week. She does it during her free time between 8am-12pm or after 3pm. “I'm very committed. I want to reach as many people as I can,” she explained.
The club is called, “The Capybara Amici ‘Friends’.” They meet once a week in NAC on the fourth floor. Anywhere from 40 -100 members show up to their weekly meetings. Every Sunday Jai sends out a poll for members to decide if they want to meet up on campus or go out somewhere. “Sometimes we go out for lunch or do a study group. It depends on what everyone wants to do. We meet up frequently.” The club usually meets at its usual spot Burger and Co., which is located next to Cafe One. Other times the group travels to K-Town or Chinatown to hang out or grab something to eat.
When asked if the students at City College are approachable, Jai responded, “The students here are nice, but I think a lot of them prefer to be by themselves because they are socially awkward, not because they don’t want friends.” Jai’s club has helped a number of students make friends and build confidence that they lacked before joining her circle. “People have told me that joining this club has helped them gain confidence. They have been able to make deep connections on their own outside of the club, and I really like that–that’s the whole point.”
When asked about the importance of making college friends, Jai emphasized that having a social life is essential to being a young adult, especially in college. “To be honest, in high school my friends were only my school friends. They weren’t people that I hung out with outside of school,” she said. “ But now the friends I have made are ones that really have my back. I can hit them up and say ‘hey let’s go out and do something and they’ll be down.”
Jai’s new friends at City have helped her academically. “It’s also helpful for class, and to stay on top of school. They can really help you out.”
If students would like to speak to Jai, she suggests they follow the Instagram page @ccnycapybara@amici. “The account is a safe space for anyone who wants to message me and have someone to talk to. Only I can see those messages, if you have no one to turn to, you can turn to that account.”
If you would like to join Capybara Amici, their discord link is in their Instagram bio.
