David Moran, GSB ’25, wasn’t always a volleyball player. In high school, he started playing club volleyball in Seattle with no experience because his school didn’t have a team. He took his love for volleyball and brought it into his freshman year of college.

When he got to Fordham, he was surprised to realize that there was no volleyball team. “I was going around the club fair sure that I was missing club volleyball,” said Moran. He soon found another volleyball player in his orientation group, Ariadna Wong, FCRH ’25, who also shared his passion for volleyball.

They decided to start a volleyball club, and they worked on getting it approved all last year. “Our whole freshman year we were fighting to get these meetings,” said Moran. After their persistence, they finally got approved at the end of the last academic year. 

While waiting for the club to officially be approved during his freshman year, Moran never stopped playing. He stayed active in intramural volleyball, and he was able to grow a community of fellow players before the club even started.

This fall semester, the club was officially able to start. “It is so great because I didn’t expect this much traction. The first year the club is on its probationary period,” explained Moran. While other clubs are able to have merchandise and an alumni network, their club is unable to until their second year. “We weren’t even allowed to have a club stand at the club fair,” said Moran. 

Despite this, there were over 60 people at tryouts, and they were only marketed through posters. “I was also impressed with the level that people were at,” said Moran. With the club now active, there is a separate girls and boys team, each with 15 members.

Moving forward, Moran’s main goal is to make sure the club lives on even after he graduates. Before this club, there was a volleyball club at Fordham that died out in the 2010s, said Moran, and he wants to make sure that doesn’t happen again. In addition to that goal, Moran hopes to win tournaments with the club and continue to improve. 

Volleyball is not the only club that Moran has recently started. This year, Moran started The Rambling House, which is a writing club for everyone. Moran explained that most writing groups require people to be at a certain skill level or fit a criteria. The Rambling House has no criteria that people have to meet.

“The purpose of the club is to take pressure off of people writing,” said Moran. Besides groups, there are deadlines and guidelines when people have to write essays or writing assignments for class, which adds a level of pressure. 

“I think that it would be the best place for people to refine their writing skills,” said Moran.  Overall, Moran wants people to have a safe place where they are able to express themselves with no pressure, even if their work is just for themselves.

Moran’s involvement doesn’t stop at leading volleyball and writing clubs. Moran is part of the Global Business Honors Program and Fordham Orchestra. 

Even with all his activities, Moran loves everything he does. “I do not think I could put this many hours into something I am not interested in. It matters how passionate I actually am about it,” said Moran.

In the Fordham Orchestra, Moran plays the violin, which along with writing, he doesn’t really view as work. Instead, he sees music and writing as doing something he likes that helps him to de-stress.

Overall, when starting a club, Moran believes that the most important thing is not giving up. “You can’t get discouraged if the people reject you or tell you don’t have time. It is their way of testing if you are dedicated in the future,” said Moran. “You cannot give up on your idea. If it has enough support, it is pretty sure to get approved. If you have a good idea, don’t give up.”