The Magic Club is a fairly new club on campus with one main goal: education through entertainment. Its meetings are entirely devoted to teaching eager students the magic of, well, magic. Ranging from simple close-up tricks to transporting cards through a glass panel, members will learn a wide variety of tricks that they are only used to seeing on television. When asked why he created the club, freshman and president Subash Shibu said, “I did so that I can share my interests with others. I also hope to enjoy spending time with people who have the same interests as me. I also want other people to experience the joy I get from performing.”

Shibu, himself, is no stranger to magic. He was first exposed to it at his cousin’s birthday, when a magician was hired for entertainment purposes. He was so fascinated by the performer that later he would approach him and ask if he would mentor him. The magician agreed, and held a class for Shibu over the summer.

Six years later, Shibu is still extremely passionate about the art of magic. He performs at birthday parties and community centers. His motto, “education through entertainment,” is what he strives to accomplish through the creation of the Magic Club. “I believe entertainment should be a part of life,” he explained. “Education should also be equally as important and for others education might be more important. By performing magic you will not only have fun but you can develop soft skills. It will help you get rid of stage fright, improve public speaking skills, boost confidence, and allow people to bring out their creativity. Anyone can do a magic trick if they know the secret, but to make it entertaining, the performer has to tell stories or say something witty to keep the audience occupied.”

However, it was not only the educational aspect of magic that Shibu loved. He was also incredibly passionate about the way it made him feel to perform in front of an audience, saying, “I love seeing people be amazed when I do tricks and it’s fun to watch people try to figure out how I do the trick. I believe it is one of the best feelings and I think everyone should at least try to experience it at least once.”

Overall, Shibu and the entire board encourages you to join. The Magic Club hosts weekly meetings on Monday during lunch, after FMP, in M203. Along with teaching simple yet impressive tricks, the board is planning for a number of exciting events, including special guest speakers and trips to community centers, similar to the ones Shibu performs at, to give the members a chance to show off their newly learned skills. So if you are interested, bring a friend (and maybe your own deck of cards to practice with), and learn the art of magic!