Why you should be involved in college

 People often get asked why they join a certain organization and how they stick with it during their time in college. The real question is: Why wouldn't you want to be involved?

Being involved is what makes you enjoy your college experience. It's what you make of it. I've never heard of someone who was happy with just going to class and doing homework. Of course, some majors have more heavy load course work but do you surround yourself with people who want to get to know you?

When I was a freshman I was inspired by the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA). The leaders in this organization were true role models to me. I wanted to learn from them and get to live the true college experience with the opportunities I was taking because of ALPFA. I became a part of the Youth Board, which works below the executive board. I then joined the executive board as a sophomore and finished strong as the President of ALPFA in my junior year. I never knew how passionate I was for ALPFA until I began my ALPFA story.

A big change in my life was attending the ALPFA Convention in August 2022. I won a $10k scholarship in honor of one of the founders of Women of ALPFA. It felt like all the hard work I was putting into ALPFA paid off. Due to this scholarship, I got to study abroad in London. I came back from the convention with such motivation to lead another group of freshmen and inspire them like I was once inspired my freshman year.

I often get told by underclassmen how they are so grateful they heard about ALPFA because of me. How I am their role model. How they "want to have what I have": passion. It makes me so happy to hear them feeling motivated. 

So yes, joining an organization may mean a time commitment. But it can be a life-changing experience for you and others who look up to you.