JOINING student organizations, clubs, councils, and school papers is more than just a way to pass the time in college; it is an experience that forms you.
Imagine this: you graduate with Latin honors and a picture-perfect transcript, but how do you respond when the job market calls for leadership, empathy, and critical thinking?
Academic excellence is important, no doubt. However, as someone with years of experience in hiring teachers, without hesitation, between an academic hermit and a student leader, the latter often lands, performs, and stays on the job. Being involved in organizations sharpens strategic thinking skills, makes you resilient, and gives you “street smarts” that no textbook can teach.
You see things differently when you go beyond the classroom and join student organizations. Running a group, event, or school paper forces you to consider your peers’ needs. It demands that you understand the theories you learn in class and apply them in ways that affect others. You move from simply absorbing knowledge to engaging, deepening, and creating insights, enriching your learning process. And that, my friends, is where the real, essential growth happens.
Student leadership is not just about having a title, being in control, or being popular, but about the joy and fulfillment of serving others. Take my own experience as a principal, where I have often seen applicants parade their leadership credentials, only for me to discover that their involvement was just for show.
Some ran for office not out of a desire to serve but to collect points for their portfolio. These individuals are easy to spot. Ask them about their achievements, and they will hesitate. Probe deeper into what they accomplished, and you find out they were just wallflowers, soaking up the limelight without doing the work. It is shameful, really.
On the other hand, true student leadership is about stepping up when no one else will, solving problems, and taking responsibility for the team. The irony is that many students think their academic achievements will set them apart.
Still, employers, including myself, are looking for more, especially these soft skills—communication, adversity management, and collaboration. Being book-smart is not enough when faced with real-world challenges that require empathy, quick thinking, and adaptability.
The joy of involvement comes from realizing you are part of something bigger than yourself. This aligns with what Prof. John Niño Crauz emphasized in ISUFST’s Panugod Leadership Session—student organizations are not just about personal growth but essential to community and nation-building. (To be continued)/PN
