When I first started classes at MCCC, I was 15 and extremely shy.
I had taken an online class my first semester, so I didn’t have to get out of my comfort zone. As a Middle College student, I was able to simply attend high school classes and stick to my bubble of friends, most of which came from middle school, and worry about college in my free time. I wasn’t part of any group, I hadn’t talked to very many people I didn’t already know, and I was very against the thought of joining any clubs.
However, as I progressed through my years at MCMC and became more involved at MCCC, I learned just how important it is to get involved.
Community college is often a place where people come and go. Since there aren’t dorms, a lot of people are able to only come for classes and leave before they’d even get the chance to sit in on some club meeting or attend a school event. While this may be exactly what some people want, I found for myself that it was only detrimental in the long run.
In 11th grade, after doing a karaoke rendition of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” in the cafeteria, I found myself signing up to join Student Government. I had just barely gotten enough courage to join the high school’s yearbook, which was a comfort zone of mine since I had yearbook experience in the past, and now I was joining an actual college group. It felt almost unheard of for me.
I then got the courage to run for historian, which I later became. I spent my 11th grade year tabling Student Government events, making flyers and even making t-shirts. Simply being able to be part of a group was an incredible feeling, especially when it came time to fundraise or do clothing drives, but it also gave me valuable experience. I was able to talk to strangers for the first time in my life.
At the end of my 11th grade year, I was approached about joining the Agora. Journalism had been my dream, so I took yet another leap of faith and decided to join.
To this day, I have not regretted it.
It gave me a new sense of confidence. I was immediately welcomed into a kind, relaxed newsroom that had so much to offer. The work was hard, as it mostly always is, but it was extremely rewarding.
I ultimately stepped away from Student Government. However, I will always remember it as where I learned so much and gained plenty of confidence from.
Had I not gotten involved on campus, I never would’ve taken the leap of faith I did in joining the paper, let alone interviewing for the editor position when our previous editor, Megan Kane, got accepted to U of M.
Joining the Agora for me was like finding my place. I traveled with my staff and experienced so many things that were absolutely incredible, like the eclipse or journalism conferences. It became very familial very fast, and it provided me with experiences like never before.
I’ve noticed it’s the same across campus. When I see members of GSA or the Writing Center together, there’s always a certain warmth to their interactions. Getting involved on campus isn’t always as scary as it seems, especially when you witness these clubs getting along firsthand.
Community college doesn’t have to be a quick thing. It doesn’t need to be a ‘come and go’ type of experience. Getting involved was the best decision I had ever made, and I wholeheartedly believe plenty of others could probably vouch for that same idea.
I don’t think I will ever experience anything like this ever again, and I’m cherishing it as much as I can, while I can.
