Have you ever been a part of an organization or a sport or a group that has shaped your life? I know sometimes high school can be hard, at least for me it was, and finding a place you fit in can be the most difficult thing about it. For me, I didn't find the place I fit until the ninth grade. Here I found the National Beta Club.

I know what you are saying, what in the world is this? There is no set definition but I describe it as the following:

"A leadership and scholarship organization that helps children, teens, and young adults get involved in their communities."

For me, the big thing I loved was the conventions and the pins!

Junior and Senior Conventions occur in each of the eighteen states that actually hold a convention. This is where the academic mind, the political mind, and the imaginative mind all collide for a two to three-day adventure. In each state, you can run candidates for president, vice-president, and secretary of the state. I was elected Ohio State Senior Beta Secretary. My slogan was "Jazz: Beta's New Song," and it was this moment in my life when I found my calling, motivational speaking. This is because when running for an office, you have to write and give a two-minute speech, write and produce a one-minute skit, and answer a question that no one knows. But, if running for an office isn't for you, there are academics such as poetry, math, science, agriculture, and many other tests you can take. If art is more your cup of tea, you can do drawings, paintings, crafts, banners, and other ways to encourage the imagination of everyone.

Here is where you can collect pins. These are little trading pieces that show where you have been or just a little thing to trade with your friends.

After the state convention comes the big Beta party of the year, Nationals!

Held in different states each year, (this year being Louisiana, and last year being Tennessee,) nationals is where all eighteen states with conventions come together. It is also here that if you have won at state convention, you compete for national awards, and yes, this includes candidates.

I ran in 2014 at the Virginia Nationals. It was the most exciting and terrifying moment of my life. Speaking in front of 150,000 people, that is enough to make anyone nervous. But as I stood there, I wasn't afraid, I was excited and happy to be sharing my speech with everyone

With all of this being said, Beta isn't just a ton of fun, but a ton of hard work. Doing service projects, giving back what we have been given, that is what Beta is truly about. It is showing the community that teens and young adults don't just take, but give to better this world. Beta saved my life, it made me who I am and showed my God's direction for my life.

Thank you, and God bless the Beta Club.