Becoming involved in extracurricular activities is a responsibility students everywhere should be taking greater advantage of. It takes a particular amount of individual effort, but getting involved in clubs and activities has tremendous benefits. Extracurricular involvement is a great resume builder, and equally enhances new interests, improves leadership skills, builds diverse relationships and forms a sense of belonging to students and their school community.

Seeking out new interests can be difficult, but one must open their views and step out of their comfort-zone and become curious with the unknown. Once that boundary is broken, there is a realm of opportunity to be taken advantage of.

A few examples of involvement could be: an activity board member, debate club, SGA senator, student ambassador, Earth club, disc golf club, SGA representative... The list goes on and the possibilities are endless, but I’ll use my specific participation as a reference.

During freshman year orientation, I gathered info on many club and activities that captured my attention and eventually narrowed my options to a few favorites. (It is also very important to note that becoming too involved isn’t the smartest option.) I joined a rock climbing club that year with no experience what-so-ever. As soon as I was comfortable, the sport became a love of mine. My involvement that year brought many friendships, newly gained skills and a new passion – not only with rock climbing, but I gained this feeling of devotion and accomplishment. Had I not joined the climbing team, my dedication to Brevard would not be great. When classes alone don’t justify the quality of school or community, becoming involved and finding a passion helps answers the question, “Why am I here in particular versus any other school?”

My sophomore year at Brevard I accepted a new responsibility, and was named club president for the year. Now, had I known what I was getting myself into… I would have thought about it a little longer. It was a much bigger responsibility than I ever expected. Managing people can be quite the difficult task, but I was able to gain the skills that will be embedded in me for life.

I could list for hours the skills I gained and all the things I learned. But the most rewarding of all was the feeling of accomplishment, worth and passion I received while witnessing the smile spread cheek to cheek on a member's face after placing in their first competition, or the view of packed out fundraiser that took months to plan. The involvement gave me more than just a resume subject, it gave me drive and an investment in the school I will spend four years with.

This upcoming year I will be taking on the role of SGA Secretary and hope to influence my peers in becoming more involved.

Through extracurricular involvement, students have the ability to accomplish unique skills and knowledge. It’s important to explore opportunities and get involved, the outcome is sure to be rewarding.