Although Seton Hall is a Catholic university, the school embraces the different cultures and backgrounds of students. This is what influenced Camile Teajman, a junior political science major, to start SHU’s Hindu Student Council.
Due to SHU’s diverse population, many clubs and organizations have been created to represent the different groups and cultures present within the Seton Hall community. Although there are already a variety of cultural organizations, Teajman did not find one specifically for Hindus, so she decided to take the initiative and create the organization herself.
SHU’s Hindu Student Council is an outlet for both Hindu and non-Hindu students to learn more about Hindu faith and culture and help build a community on campus.
“I wanted it to be more so a learning experience for everybody involved just because I think it’s important for everybody to have a well-rounded understanding of a lot of different cultures,” Teajman said. “Even if it’s not something you necessarily believe in, I think it’s good to have that under your belt.”
Since the Hindu Student Council is new to campus, they have not yet hosted any events, but Teajman has many goals set for what she wants to accomplish this year.
Teajman wants to gain more of a general body population so that she can conduct general body meetings and dance workshops and hold weekly prayer sessions. Teajman also plans to celebrate Hindu cultural festivals with the organization like Diwali and Holi.
The Hindu Student Council also plans to celebrate festivals like Diwali and Holi.
Although the club is open to all students, Teajman hopes Hindu Student Council especially appeals to freshmen.
“I want to really appeal to not only the transfers, but also the freshmen in general,” Teajman said. “I feel like they would have a lasting impact on Seton Hall, especially with the Hindu Student Council, and they’d be able to contribute more to the organization in four years than I would be able to in one year.”
In addition to Teajman, SHU’s Hindu Student Council has an executive board that consists of four other positions. Ishani Sachdeva, a junior economics major, serves as the vice president. Abhilasha Aggarwal, a junior mathematical finance major, serves as the treasurer. The secretary position is held by Sapna Swayampakula, a junior criminal justice major. Isha Ayesha, a sophomore diplomacy and international relations major, works as the social media coordinator.
When asked why she joined the Hindu Student Council, Aggarwal said, “My main reason to join Hindu Student Council was to reconnect with Indian culture, learn more about Hinduism and discuss various kinds of religious things that are being practiced in this culture.”
Although the Hindu Student Council is a new organization, the executive board said that they have already learned so much through its creation.
“I’ve learned that there’s so many of us that are so similar, but we don’t realize that, and I think having Hindu Student Council is a great way for us to reconnect,” Swayampakula said.
The executive board members are also excited to see how they can learn and grow from the traditions of others and the experiences they will share together as an organization throughout the year.
“It is nearly impossible to know every aspect of the religion,” Sachdeva said. Even though I am from India, where majority of the people follow Hinduism, I do not know it all. Therefore, through this club, I hope to increase my own knowledge about Hinduism and simultaneously we hope to teach and educate others as well.”
Brooke McCormick can be reached at brooke.mccormick@student.shu.edu.
