How to find your Passion in High School

Welcome to high school, everyone! You finally made it and are about to venture into a very challenging, but satisfying journey!

Now, you’ve probably heard how you need to find what you are passionate about in high school, or at least explore your interests, right? The truth is, that can pose as a challenge simply because a lot of students don’t necessarily know what they want to be, what they want to study, or even do when they grow up - and that is normal. However, most of you, seeing as how we are all ambitious Tech students, will likely find something that captivates your thoughts and interests you in one way or the other. Tech has a multitude of resources for you to find this path, but the question still remains: where do I start?

Simply put: just start exploring. Many students come to Tech and have a preconceived notion of what they will end up doing during their four years here. Now, some of them continue on that same path and end up liking what they do, but others changed along the way. The best way to go about this process, however, is to take risks. In your freshman year, you can start off by joining several clubs that sound interesting to you at the moment. It is recommended that you join between 3-5 clubs to see what you like and then narrow that number down based on how your schedule works and what other activities you plan on pursuing. During your sophomore year, continue to plan out your activities and compile a list of the ones you want to devote yourself to by the end of that year. Moving onto your junior year, it would be best to start learning more about the areas you chose and apply for summer internships to expand your horizons and gain a professional outlook on your interests. Finally, during your senior year, make sure to highlight all of the activities that you went through during your four years at Tech and pursue a job or other internships to prep for college!

Tips to remember:

• It’s normal to be interested in several areas

• Don’t be afraid to try something new that might scare you

• Don’t be afraid to fail- those mistakes and errors/experiments will not only make you a better student, but also a better person

Here are a few concentrations and activities that you can start thinking about!

Political Science/Law

• Debate Team

• Model UN

• Mock Trial

• Student Government

• Black Student Union (BSU)

• Junior State of America

Science/Math

• Science Bowl

• Science Olympiad

• Astronomy Club

• Math Team

• Envirothon

• Neuroscience Club

• Relay for Life

Technology/Computer Science

• Robotics Team

• Girls Who Code

• Aerospace Engineering Club

• BTHS Makerspace Club

• National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)

• Student Media

Community Service Clubs

• NHS

• Key Club

• HOPE

• BETA Club

• BTHS UNICEF

• Red Cross

These are only a few clubs and/areas of concentration that you can choose to pursue, however take a look through the other 150+ clubs that Tech has to offer and make your choices!

Tip: Once you find out what topic you love studying or exploring, turn your passion into a passion project! A passion project could be anything! For example, one of our recently graduated seniors, who loved cooking, started Cultured Kids Cuisine - an organization where she would teach children how to cook online (just goes to show you can do anything online). If you’re passionate about the health disparities in low-income communities, you can create an organization that focuses on spreading awareness on this topic and increasing health literacy for underfunded communities. If you’re passionate about COVID-19, you can work on making masks for homeless shelters and groups that are in need (nursing homes, hospitals, etc,.). Take what you’re passionate about and use it to help others, that is a passion project. Show how you can give back to your community. ~ Tracy Chen

By: Mariya Meleganich