Student organization involvement teaches invaluable lessons in leadership

Throughout my time here at the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) I have been provided with many opportunities to further my educational experience through student organizations. These opportunities have helped me gain an understanding of what leadership is and what the real world looks like.

My first experience was with University Christian Fellowship (UCF) as a freshman. I was immediately placed in a leadership position as the president and was tasked with overseeing the majority of the organization’s actions. As an 18-year-old this was a wake-up call; I learned that I needed to grow up real fast.

After UCF, I joined the Music Club, which allowed me to express myself musically and showed me that student organizations are more than learning. Student organizations are about having fun with a group of people with similar interests to you while learning at the same time. Through the Music Club, I became involved with the Student Government Association (SGA).

In SGA, I saw the beautiful side and the ugly side of the university. Originally, I started off as a representative for the Music Club, so my job was to promote Music Club events to other organizations. I then became an SGA representative and sat on five different university committees. These committees showed me how the university runs behind the scenes, and what I saw was enlightening in that I learned how to conduct myself in professional meetings and how to talk to administrators.

While I was enlightened by my experience, I was also concerned. When I became the student body president, I was immediately concerned by the fact that there is such a small percentage of people who actually make decisions on campus. It concerns me that there is, at most, only two or three students who sit on these decision-making committees. The university’s mission should be to serve the best interest of students. Furthermore, students should have more of a say in what happens at the university. For that to happen though, more students need to be involved.

While there is definitely red tape in place, the red tape helped me learn how to thrive in a bureaucratic environment. Involvement in student organizations has helped me further my education and mold me into the person I am today. I can honestly say I am ready to enter the workforce because of all the difficult decisions I had to make while part of student organizations.