Extracurricular activities are a huge part of the lives of Townsend Harris High School students. In order for these activities to run smoothly, the presence of leaders is important. Although all leaders have previously started out as members of their respective clubs or teams, there are some commonalities that all club leaders believe in.
Possibly the most informed student at THHS about clubs is Club Liaison and senior Ivy Lam who believes that “club leaders, above all else, need to be passionate about their club.” Ivy finds that “when a club leader is passionate about his or her club, everything else will easily fall into place with some organization.” As a senior, Ivy’s advice to the freshman would be, “Don’t stay in a club if you aren’t feeling it, there’s no need to force yourself. Clubs should be a fun, stress free experience. Just make some new friends and enjoy your time!”
Current COSA Ms. Oberlander concurs that if an individual wishes to be a club leader, he or she needs “a strong interest in the content of the proposed club, social and organizational skills, and good time management.” In order to even be considered as a club leader, students must attend THHS for at least one year and be involved in at least two clubs. Ms. Oberlander says that this requirement is so that students “understand the nature of our clubs and club expectations.”
In order to be a club leader, the relationship between the leader and the other members of the club is of utmost importance. Senior and Glamour Gals Co-president Lena Kung says that, “communication is key, so the club leader must interact and socialize with the club members in order to be successful.”
Organizing a club is an arduous task that poses many challenges to students. Although these students are just like the rest of the school population, they must take charge and hold authority over their fellow club members. Leader of the Muslim Student Association Club (MSA) Aquib Sadique found it difficult to make the club appealing to all people because we want as many people as possible to attend. He reminisces, “ I worked my way up on the board. As a sophomore I was senator, which is basically an introductory position. I tried for treasurer the next year but I didn’t make it…Then finally I tried for president and I was elected, which was my dream in MSA since freshman year.”
He shares, “The challenge in all that would have to be dealing with my loss in junior year when I wanted to be treasurer. I tried to overcome that by still working with the board even though I had no official position. If they needed any sort of extra help with events like HennaFest or MIST I was there for them.”
