'And' or 'as well as'?

We use 'and' and 'as well as' to link two things or people. ‘And' is much more common.

‘And’ can link any words, phrases or clauses. 'As well as' is a  preposition which means ‘in addition to’, and can be used to link up two nouns (but not clauses).

 I like helping charities and meeting new friends.
 I like helping charities as well as meeting new friends.

 She works hard and her classmates like her.
 She works hard as well as her classmates like her.