But that changed after he was stopped by a member of Students Encouraging Support and Solidarity and invited to join the club.

Once there, he began making friends and did a complete 180-degree change.

Within a year, he was president of the Inter Club Council, which is the governing body for campus clubs

He has held the office for nearly four years.

And what was once just a handful of clubs has grown to more than 60.

“Francisco has been a tireless advocate for clubs, not only as social gatherings for students, but also…as a force for increasing diversity awareness and inclusion,” said Bill Oye, dean of student life, in an e-mail interview.

The ICC was not always so organized, Hinojosa said.

The rules were restrictive, with the ICC forced to follow the Associate Students of DVC’s constitution, which gave the clubs little power.

Hinojosa set out to change that when he was elected ICC president in 2004.

To make it easier for more students to get involved, he lowered the minimum number of students required to form a club from eight to six, because it was hard to get a club going even with just eight people.

“We changed it and it worked,” Hinojosa said.

He also oversaw creation of an ICC website, which was made by students and has been up for a year.

A pre-med major, he hopes to attend UC Davis next year and eventually become a neurologist.

“Francisco is a great guy…who is always doing anything he can to ensure that all matters involving the ICC are successful,” said Kevin Powell, president of the Social and Speech Club, in an e-mail interview.

One of Hinojosa’s next projects involves getting music in the Main Quad.

The Quad can be more than just a lounging area for students waiting for their next class, he said.

The man who went from a friendless, near dropout to president of all the clubs at DVC has message for everyone: “Socialize.”

It worked for him.