By Hunter Hutchings/reporter
It may surprise some teachers, but when asked about an event that profoundly changed them while attending college, four out of five students will view an out-of-classroom experience as most memorable.
Rachael McCloskey, Alisha Coleman and Latisha Kuykendall of NW Campus student activities spoke in the Get Involved presentation Sept. 9. They offered several reasons why students should become involved in other activities besides courses.
“I think it helps students to create networks,” McCloskey said. “Whether it is getting a job on campus or joining a club, just getting involved is beneficial rather than just attending classes.”
Getting more involved with the faculty was another plus, Kuykendall said. It could help create relationships with faculty and staff, which could be beneficial for letters of recommendation as well as other opportunities.
Clubs are one of the best ways to get involved on campus, the speakers said. The campus hosts a wide range of clubs from sports to culture to religion.
Clubs can provide many important advantages, the speakers said. The Student Leadership Academy, for example, offers students an assortment of skills, such as management and leadership training, which interested NW student Gilbert Ortega, a logistics major.
“My needs would be more met in Leadership Academy,” Ortega said. “It would provide me more guidance into management skills and supervision, which is what I will be doing.”
Students were asked by the speakers to tell the audience their majors. The speakers then discussed how important it is to have a sense of community. Reaching out to peers and those who have similar majors or interests is a useful way to create networks and relationships for important life experiences, they said.
Most students found clubs to suit their interests and related to their majors, such as NW student Izabella Briseno, who said she would like to join the Creative Writing Club and We Are One: Gay-Straight Alliance. Other students, such as NW student Ashley Phillips, a science major, said she had not found clubs that directly met her interests and related to her major.
“I learned that there were so many clubs and about Leadership Academy. I’m thinking about doing that,” Phillips said. “Nothing pertained to my major, but I think it would be good for life skills.”
While clubs seemed to be the main topic of the presentation, other lectures and presentations were also offered to students, including time management, job readiness and study skills. The speakers invited all students to meet them about getting involved. They encouraged students to stop by their office and even to raid their refrigerator.
Kuykendall wanted students to become more familiar with student activities and assure students of all their opportunities.
“I just wanted to help students know they can get involved,” she said. “I don’t want them to feel like they don’t have the opportunity.”
