Get involved in high school. No matter what. Actually, get involved in general. It does not matter if you are in middle school, high school or college. Try new things in and out of school.

Don’t stick with one thing like I did. Sure, cheerleading is one of the best things that has happened in my life, but my resumé is hurting because of it. I promise, senior year is not too late to get involved. Most freshmen won’t get involved in some clubs and groups, because they don’t want to seem like they care too much. However those are the activities everyone needs to be involved in.

It could be something such as SAFE, LITE team or even catPRIDE.  I have heard people say they would never be involved because it is “lame.” But these clubs are actually a lot of fun and can really help people. I know personally it makes me feel great when I can help someone else. I regret not being involved in more during my four years here at De Soto High School.

After you have gotten involved and found your niche, step up and be a leader. But don’t give up on everything else. The colleges you will be applying to in a couple years really want to see what you have been involved in and helped with. Trust me, having three jobs, being one of the cheerleading captains and being decently involved in school is hard, but manageable. I found a way to make it through all of high school with above average grades, and being involved.

This doesn’t matter to some, though because my community service hours struggle and that’s what people like to see. I applied for National Honors Society my junior and senior year and did not get in because I was not involved enough in the community. I also did not get some of the scholarships I applied for because they required a certain number of volunteer hours, or chose candidates based on volunteer work. It didn’t matter to them that I was cheerleading captain or that I work a lot, what matters is if you are involved, if you maintain good grades and if you are benefiting someone other than yourself.

It doesn’t even have to be just volunteering either. I have friends that have gone to the Kansas capital building and shadowed a representative for the day to see how the government works.

Potential employers also like real world experiences. It could be anything from seeing how the government works outside of a class, to holding an internship over the summer. Students have said that it is not possible for them because they are too young, but it takes effort and initiative to find places where you can get real experiences in what interests you.

This involvement does not stop after high school. Once you know what college you’re going to, start looking up ways to get involved in campus. No matter the campus there are so many ways to get involved from student government to Greek life, where you are required to volunteer, to actual volunteer groups that travel to help places and people in need.

One thing I have done is find different things to research at Kansas State University, which is where I plan to attend in the fall. There are so many opportunities for everyone to find something they would be interested in.

Staying involved is also important because it shows that you can manage your time wisely, which colleges and potential bosses look for. They are resume builders. The only thing you have to remember is not to get involved in so much that you are stressed out. Find your niche and stick with it. Don’t be scared to try something that a couple years ago you never would have tried. Doing that has really opened my eyes and taught me that there are options for everything I could imagine doing.