By: Megan Saul

Culture Editor

Clubs are a way that Los Gatos High School students can further their passions and share them with others. Junior Maxwell Tan has certainly done this by co-founding and helping run three clubs: the Finance and Economics Club, the Elpizo Foundation, and the Stock Market Club. All of these clubs help students learn useful skills and lessons.

The Finance and Economics Club — run by Tan, senior James Xu, and sophomore Angie Lam — studies economics-related subjects and competes in events throughout the year. Tan explained that he took the AP Economics class by self-studying a long time ago, which sparked his passion for the topic. He said, “I wanted to start this club because our school doesn’t offer AP Macroeconomics or Microeconomics, so this is a really good way to teach other people about it. I just think it is really interesting because it relates to so much of the world, in politics especially. As we compete in a team, it is a really good time to get out there and show your interest.” The Finance and Economics Club hopes to participate in the Wharton investment competition this year. This competition consists of students making a stock market portfolio for a potential client. As Tan also runs the Stock Market Club, the two will collaborate and work on this competition together. 

The  Finance and Economics Club meets every week, either by holding fun activities, intro-level lessons, or more competitive meetings to strategize for upcoming competitions. For example, the club recently held a debate over economic policies and a roulette game to answer various questions. While all types of meetings are enjoyable, Tan added that the more intro-level activities are his favorite part because “there are a lot more members involved. It is really fun to see people who aren’t professionals at economics getting into it and seeing it as a fun subject rather than something that is very hard and competitive.” As this is the second year LGHS has had this club, it has gained more members and is continuing to grow. This club is education-based and teaches the basics of this life skill, allowing any member to go whether they have prior knowledge on the topic or not.

Tan’s other club, the Elpizo Foundation, is an international 501c(3) nonprofit foundation founded by Tan, junior William Han, and junior Dylan Tan. The word elpizo means “hope” in Greek, and the club itself is a chapter-based organization for high school students with the goal of making community service more accessible and fun. Tan said, “We make community service easier for people so they don’t recognize it as just arduous labor and tedious work. Instead, we try to make it so people can participate and have a lot of fun in the process.” The Elpizo Foundation frequently holds cookouts in Patricia Sutton’s room, room 100, where they make meals for the homeless. They also host fundraisers and book sales throughout the community. This club is a great opportunity for students to earn community service hours more enjoyably. All of these clubs run by Tan are very educational and aim to foster new passions within LGHS students. If you are interested in any topics mentioned, join these clubs!