Hey guys! I hope your week has been going well! I cannot believe it is already mid-October….This year has been flying by! One of my favorite activities that I have been taking part in this year is ACTIVE which stands for Achieving Change through Inspiring Values and Education. I wanted to tell you a little bit about my involvement in this and why I love it so much.
I started taking part in this organization my freshman year when one of my sorority sisters told me how much she loved it. When I first signed up, I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into but now I am so glad that I got involved. As a club, our aim is to help students in middle school and high school explore their interests, while providing college counseling and leadership help. We break up into three segments, each volunteering at a different school. Last year, I worked with the students at Belmont High School with three other members of ACTIVE. We primarily focused on SAT preparation and helped the students with their essays and applications. It was a really good experience to be able to form relationships with these kids and learn about their many diverse interests and goals. Once the end of the year came, it was very rewarding when the students were accepted into several different colleges. One of them even received admission to USC! We also hosted a retreat at USC for the middle school students on campus. It was a great way to get away from the classroom and have a fun and interactive day!
The Kids at the Retreat
This year, my branch of the club decided to take our mission in a new direction. We started a campaign to fundraise and collect SAT books to donate to the inner-city schools that we volunteered at. We also took on a new school called Highland Park High School this year. We teach an hour class here every Friday centered around exploring their passions and finding the best path for them to accomplish their goals. Approaching the college process on your own is scary, and it is so rewarding to be able to help them with this experience. Above all, though, my favorite part of ACTIVE is building personal relationships with the students. They all come from diverse backgrounds and have such unique goals. There is nothing better than seeing how they progress and learn about themselves.
Actually, this week is very exciting because all of the students from Highland Park are taking a field trip to USC! We are having them come to visit to see what a real college campus is like. We have told them all about our experiences here, and now they get to see it firsthand! I am so excited for this afternoon to come so we can give them their campus tour and play some fun games! Well I hope you all have enjoyed reading a little bit about my favorite organization on campus! Enjoy your weekends!
Jacquie
