When first starting high school, I recommend joining clubs based on what genuinely interests you. You can research this by checking out a page on your school’s website that lists all the clubs, and also looking at bulletin boards around your school to see what is already available. This is a great place to start to see what your school offers. Along with passion-based clubs, I’d also recommend joining competitive clubs like HOSA, DECA, Model UN, or robotics. Since I’ve always loved science, I joined HOSA to see if the medical field was a good fit, and this really gave me more hands-on experience and helped me explore future career paths.
Freshman year, I recommend volunteering a lot as well. For example, becoming a tutor through Connect Me can definitely help gain easy, but meaningful, volunteer hours. I also suggest exploring other volunteer opportunities, as well, like volunteering at your local library, hospital, animal shelter, or through sports. Do a bit of research to see what’s available near you and what matches your interests. I volunteered through Connect Me and at my dance studio, and. bBoth of these experiences helped me later on by leaving me with many leadership skills. Overall, volunteering looks great on applications and is genuinely very rewarding.
Freshman year, I suggest committing to a few clubs and giving it your best effort. That hard work will show club leaders that you are ready to take on more responsibility, s. So make sure you are showing up to all meetings, volunteering to help during events, and helping with fundraisers. Sometimes, I would even reach out to club leaders just to offer help, like planning a bake sale or making a social media post, even if they haven’t asked. At the end of the day, people want to know that you are committed and are ready to put in effort. Additionally, make sure club presidents know who you are; don’t be afraid to reach out to them to show that you are committed. I applied to a lot of board positions at the end of my freshman year and the beginning of my sophomore year, after proving that I was a good fit throughout the year, and most of these went well for me. Applying this early in my high school career also gave me a head start as a younger member on board, so I definitely recommend doing that as well.
When applying to board positions and other leadership roles, you will often have interviews to prepare for. To prepare for interviews, make sure you are knowledgeable about the club or organization that you are applying to. I also recommend practicing common interview questions beforehand and presenting yourself in a way that truly showcases your skills.
Furthermore, if you ever have an idea that is not already a club at your school, try creating your own club. I founded a women’s rights club at the beginning of my sophomore year, and I learned so much through that experience; it even helped me with applications later in my high school career. Planning large events or fundraisers through these clubs is also a great way to gain more leadership experience. I have planned three or four large fundraisers and events, which raised several thousand dollars and made a big impact in the community. These fundraisers and events have showcased my ability to plan, organize, communicate, and make an impact. I suggest organizing an event and donating the money to a good cause.
By junior year, I would recommend just growing more in the leadership positions you already have. Junior year is typically when people also join honor societies, which often require a certain GPA and a minimum number of volunteer hours to apply. So, keeping your grades up and getting involved in volunteering as an underclassman definitely helps. I would also do some research into summer programs for the summer between junior and senior year. You can even do some summer programs in between sophomore and junior year, but I would suggest focusing on studying for the SAT or ACT that summer. I got accepted into a summer cancer research program at the University of Michigan, and it was a great experience. I applied in the spring of my junior year, which is when most summer program applications are due. One thing I didn’t do was apply to several programs, so I recommend applying to a multiple to keep your options open. Additionally, look into internships for that summer. Make sure to do tons of research to see what opportunities are out there.
Overall, just remember to always be on the lookout for leadership opportunities and take any chance you can. Whether it’s leading a club, planning an event, starting your own initiative, or just helping out consistently, all of it counts. Just start small at the beginning, stay consistent, put in the work, and the right opportunities will continue to find you.
Author: Keyya Dave, Media Department Member
