How To Find Your Interests Through Clubs and Activities

BY SUOMO QUARSHIE

Students at a club meeting. WWF.

During high school, many students find themselves dealing with a multitude of activities, assignments and extracurriculars. As students move closer towards their senior year and the time to narrow down what they would like to study further decreases, many find themselves anxious to figure out what their passions in life may be. The issue is, they don't know how to do so. Sophomore Olivia Sisson spoke of her experience: “For me, I had also known I wanted to do something related to journalism, but for others, it’s not so simple.”

The foremost, and most simple step would be to try an innumerable amount of new activities. You could enroll yourself in school clubs, and slowly choose a handful that you find most interesting. You could also try summer programs, and pre-college programs, like the New York Times summer program, Brown Pre-College program, and other online courses from colleges. If you are unable to do these things, there are many other things you can do to expose yourself to new things.

Another student, Naima Noel-June, found herself unable to attend programs so instead she took to YouTube! Naima commented “For students struggling to figure out their passions, another strategy would be to reflect on the things that make you happy.” A variety of sources including the College Board have stated that the first thing to do to in order to narrow down your interests is to consider what activities make you happy. For example, if you are someone who enjoys listening to music, think about why you like listening to music, what genres and etc.

Next, would be to try and deepen those interests. A student Alana Templmen discussed how her service trip/volunteering was a key factor in helping her to figure out her interests. After attending the China Folk House in Virginia, Templeman described it to be a great experience. She had always known she found the Chinese language intriguing, and described it to be one of her strengths. Deciding to lean into her Chinese learning skills, she attended the Folk House in order to learn more about Chinese history and culture. While there her experience solidified the notion that she was interested in learning more.