Leadership opportunities within extracurricular activities and clubs are a great way for students to get more involved in their school community and stand out in the college admissions process. As current leaders of Oakton activities graduate, more positions open up to underclassman. Spring is the time that many clubs begin their application processes for these leadership positions, as well as the time students pick their courses for the 2017-2018 school year. Students should be aware of the leadership opportunities available to them, and below are a few opportunities they should consider.

One club that is looking for students of all grade levels to fill leadership opportunities is the Oakton Center for Collaborative Learning. The Center consists of a group of 30-40 students who volunteer to tutor their peers in all subjects during cougar times and after school. To be a Center tutor, students do have to take a class. It is called “Peer tutoring seminar” and takes up a normal 90 minute period. Simply being a high school tutor is a leadership position in itself. There is an application students must fill out before they are accepted as a tutor. However, the process is short — only a double page application and an interview are required.
Once students are Center tutors, the opportunity to be a manager of the Center opens up. There are currently 11 managers, all of whom are juniors and seniors. To become a manager, tutors who have been a part of the program for at least one year can apply. The manager application is very short. It consists of a few questions asking why the tutor wants to rise as a leader in the program. Once the student is a Center manager, the position is fun and not too time consuming. Manager give up relatively the same same amount of time as any other tutor. Managers tutor during some cougar times, after school occasionally, and will managing tasks during class. The Center is a perfect activity for students who feel confident academically and enjoy helping others.

Oakton’s marketing class, also known as “DECA” is looking for motivated students to join their class and fill leadership positions. To be part of DECA, students are required to take the marketing class. Within DECA, 8 officer positions are available to students. The positions are: President, Secretary, Vice President of Professional Development, Vice President of Competitive Events, Vice President of Communications, Vice President of Public Relations, Vice President of Social Events, and freshman liaison. A sophomore currently holds the freshman liaison position and juniors and seniors hold the rest of the positions.
Students who are in the marketing class and want to take part in DECA can apply to be an officer their first year as part of the class. There is an application to become a DECA officer. The application consists of a quick google form that students fill out. There is also an interview process. Once the officer positions are decided, the students who fill the positions gain more responsibility. When asked how much responsibility a DECA officer has, senior Adam Haichour said that it “depends on the position.” Some officers manage activities in school, some manage social media accounts, and others give class presentations. Holding an officer position is somewhat time consuming. Officers have a meeting once a month on average, but have busier schedules in the spring near competition time. Haichour encourages confident and hardworking students to join DECA.

The Best Buddies club is another great opportunity for students to make friends, become more involved in the Oakton community, and gain leadership experience. To be part of Best Buddies, students are not required to take a class. The club meets after school. All students who would like to be part of Best Buddies are welcome to come to after school events. But for those who would like to be more of a leader in the club, there are many officer positions available. For the 2016-2017 school year, Best Buddies offered 10 officer positions. Sarah Williams, the current President of Best Buddies, said “the amount of officer positions available changes every year — it all depends on how much help we need and how many people are genuinely committed to the club.”

The application for Best Buddies officers will be due in May. The positions available are president, two Vice Presidents, and a secretary, among others. The officer applications can be found on Bestbuddiesonline.org. For any students looking to apply to be president, the application has already been released. Contact Sarah Williams for more information. The president application asks broad questions, such as what the student’s leadership plans are. Students applying for president of Best buddies should have experience as a member of the club and as well as a genuine passion for it. Being the president of Best Buddies is a substantial commitment, but being an officer is less time consuming. Officers are expected to attend meetings every Monday in addition to chapter meetings. Overall, students should apply for a leadership position within Best Buddies if they have a genuine interest in the club and they are ready for a big commitment.