Despite its Greek name, Alpha Gamma Sigma isn’t a stereotypical group of party-time college students. The community-service oriented club’s main difference from other clubs is that it has certain requirements for joining.

Students interested in joining must have a 3.0 GPA, along with the completion of 12 or more semester units. If prospective members are coming from high school, they must be a life member of the California Scholarship Federation and have a minimum 3.5 GPA.

Community service and supporting academic achievement are the main foundations of the nationally recognized club.

“AGS is an honors society that promotes and foster good grades and students while being involved in community service,” club moderator Janine Barba said.

“AGS offers students the chance to meet other motivated students, to serve the community, and to find out about scholarships to help them achieve their goals,” Ashley Beasley, club president, said. “You get a feeling of accomplishment when you are giving back to the community in areas where it really counts.”

And the club doesn’t just exist at EC; it extends statewide as part of a bigger California Community College Scholastic Honor Society catering to motivated students who go the extra mile to get noticed by universities.

“I joined AGS because I think that I should be part of a society where people share common views on academics,” activities officer Cindy Pineda said.

General club meetings are usually on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month at 1:15 p.m. in the Bus. 2 room of the Business Building. At club meetings, the cabinet informs its members about community service opportunities and upcoming events that the club sponsors.

Lessa Pelayo, publicity officer for AGS, along with the rest of the cabinet, assists members in and out of the club meetings.

“At our general meetings, we talk about future events and throw around ideas to make the club more fun,” Pelayo said.

“We work closely with the Interclub Council, and we also participate in conferences, bake sales, and the book fair we have every semester with the library,” Barba said.

The club also supports activities like the beach clean-ups and the Thanksgiving social mixer.

This semester, the club presents a completely new cabinet. President Ashley Beasley leads a group of new officers ranging from vice president to historian.

AGS has helped its members to transfer to universities, as well as to mold them to become leaders in the campus as well as in the community.

“Scholastic achievement, combined with the community service that AGS is based on, has greatly enhanced my ability as a leader,” vice president Amy Peter said.

Some of the benefits of joining the club are meeting highly motivated students, being able to help in the community, and getting information about scholarship opportunities. In addition, members receive a notation on their transcripts, a gold seal on their diplomas, and a gold stole to wear at graduation.

“(Being part of AGS) is good to see on the scholastic r?sum? and universities want to see that you are involved in community service,” Barba said.

“Some people who are already transferring always say, ‘Oh, I wish I was involved in something like that.’ AGS is a great way to get involved on campus while striving towards good grades,” Barba said.