Leavey Ambassadors Program Blogs

Starting college is a major turning point in life, full of new people and opportunities. When I first started college, I didn’t know how to get involved, or even if I really wanted to. During one of the club fairs, I walked by the boxing club table and decided to try it out. I went to a few meetings and met a diverse and amazing set of people. As a French citizen, I had hoped to join the French club as well but it wasn’t very active at the time. Additionally, I didn’t go out of my way to participate in campus activities unless they were connected to class events. 

Early on during my first year, I connected with a French professor and became a Peer Educator for her FREN 101 class, an upper division class. It allowed me to meet older students who also spoke my language, which was very relieving for me. Then I became a French minor and started taking French classes too and connected even more with other French major/minor students. Later on, during my sophomore year, I had a class with the new French club president. While most executive positions had been filled already, I believed that the club needed help with their social media presence. I offered my help, since it could help me not only get involved but also touch on something that was close to my marketing major. That’s how I became the French Club’s Social Media Manager. The whole team worked together to make the club more active. We increased our social media presence and our number of events and it was fairly successful. We now host events every week. I am now set to become a co-president next year, working together with another member to make our club more active than ever.  

Another great way for me to get involved was through friends. Santa Clara provides a great networking opportunity, especially in the Leavey School of Business. I met older business students who offered their insights and advice on internships and resumes, and even helped me with my LinkedIn profile. In my ACTG 11 class, I worked with the president of the Santa Clara Dance Association for our final group project. She talked to me about her events and I joined the club my sophomore year. After going to a few lessons, a small group of us signed up to compete for the 22th Annual Berkeley Classic, a ballroom dance competition. I recently became her Vice-President for next year and we’re excited to plan more lessons. 

Getting involved on campus can initially feel intimidating, especially when you don’t know anyone. However, our campus has many ways of helping you get involved. Club fairs are a great way to raise awareness about different clubs and associations and help you join them. It’s important to engage with people and not be afraid of approaching them. Joining multiple clubs can help you find what you like, and you do not have to commit to all of them. Trying out different activities allows you to meet new people, which can be so much fun. You can even get great opportunities through your email, which is how I found out about the Leavey Ambassador positions opening. Residence halls also organize many activities every week which is another great way to meet other students and connect with them.