Many people ask me about why I’m so involved. They ask me why do bee club and play basketball? Why be apart of Chickenology, a club that raises chickens, and have team bonding at Popeyes? Many ask me why be so involved in so many clubs, and extracurricular activities, and jobs.

In my Junior year alone, I’m involved in Weekend on Wheels also known as WOW (a high school food pantry), volleyball, basketball, basketball clubs and workouts, managing soccer, YLSL (Youth Leadership St. Louis), Y.A.C.H.T. Club (Youth Ambassadors Cooperating and Helping with Transition), NHS (National Honor Society) and I recently picked up a job at a movie theater; all in addition to being a student.

One club alone can be just as long as homework. Though, each sport I participate in is seasonal, I on average give at least 10 hours a week for each sport for just practice, whether school is in session or not. YLSL usually takes me out of school 2 days a month. Y.A.C.H.T. Club though a silly name is a leadership group within my school that requires to help incoming freshmen over the summer. National Honor Society meets once a month, but requires 10 hours of community service, and assistance for new inductions and other events. WOW can have me doing anything from packing boxes every week to visiting a community events and raising money to attending an out of state conference to present what we’re doing. Not even to put into consideration when your school or some other organization realizes how involved I am, they try to solicit me for other odd jobs, like giving a tour or being asked on a panel.

Though everything that I do may be a lot it’s also beneficial to developing myself in a adult lifestyle. Many teenagers don’t realize that these are the happy days. Sure, in college there are the parties and the freedom, but there’s also the homework, hectic schedule, and life temptations. Can you really say you’d pass up a party for homework in college? Being involved in so many groups and clubs teaches you how to have self control, and good time management skills. With being in so many clubs you also are able to experience a diverse set of problems, making yourself have good critical thinking and problem solving skills. In a career a person is likely to have multiple problems in one work day that are never the same, adults have to adjust and figure things for themselves. Also, every club singularly teaches personal skills that you can use in other events or task for different groups. For example, from taking a Mobile Journalism class, where students would have to create, script, edit, and publish a video in 2 days for a semester has taught how to video edit and use that for other clubs. I’ve created many videos for the pantry, that have been rewarded.

In addition to all the skills and personal growth a person can receive, it is also very important to recognize all that different people you will meet. The perspective I gain from people by being in so many different groups is more than most people will get in a lifetime. Talking to my boss about how to solve poverty can be a very different outlook than the WOW coordinator who works with a food pantry everyday. Not that one input can be different from another, but what usually happens is the common trends multiple parties say, giving you a better understanding on the subject. Even if input is different it’s still “food for thought” in this mystery in life.

When I get questions like, “Why are you so involved?” I simply respond, “I don’t know, I like them.” But the truth is there’s so much more than just liking what I’m doing in each club. All the activities I am doing, or have done have had a big impact on me.The real answer to those questions is for the huge amount of knowledge and multiple perspectives you receive. The skills and knowledge you gain from both the people you meet and the things you do. As John C. Maxwell, an American author and speaker or leadership said, “People who use time wisely spend it on activities that advance their overall purpose in life.”