Being an officer of a club is not just a title, it is a responsibility to that organization, according to Junior Achievement (JA) co-president senior Kiara Sugay. The officer positions available to most clubs include the president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and historian.
“Some of the duties that I have as president include organizing meetings, coming up with ideas for products, planning and communicating with members about events,” Sugay said. “The president mainly runs the club and will have to throw out a majority of the ideas, and for JA, plan for [an annual event called] trade fair. I also represent the club and communicate with the sponsors regularly.”
Students Taking a New Direction (STAND) president senior Reshmi Joseph ran for president because she wanted to change the club for the better.
“I was in the club since freshman year,” Joseph said. “I decided to run for president because I wanted to add more service opportunities and increase its numbers. I had to prepare a speech and I had to have attended previous meetings and service projects to campaign.”
National Honor Society (NHS) president senior Colton Grindal chose to run for president of NHS because he believes it is an organization that is worth all the effort.
“Leading as a president provides me with problem solving, conflict resolution and organizational and leadership skills that will impact my college and my job careers,” Grindal said. “It is work that is rewarding as you help others develop character, lead a student body and serve the community around you.”
The vice president runs alongside the president, and their role is to assist in other positions. They can substitute for the president when needed, and are in communication with the club sponsors.
“The Klein Collins chapter of the Science National Honor Society (SciNHS) was created in the second semester of last year, around February or March, so I have been a member since its founding,” SciNHS vice president senior Alexandra Nuyda said. “In order to run for the position of vice president, I had to make a campaign video that explained why I would be a good fit for the office.”’
The secretary’s duties are to take roll, update spreadsheets and take notes for each meeting as needed. The treasurer position manages the finances and the historian takes pictures for the club.
“There was a one-on-one interview with the vice president in order to run,” JA secretary senior Danielle Louise Malubay said. “I only started to be involved this year, but a lot of my friends were in the club and I wanted to have a bigger role than just a regular member.”
Holding an officer position is a good way to get experience for the future, according to Nuyda.
“I plan to major in biology and minor in education to pursue a career in the secondary level field of education, specifically the sciences, so this spot was a perfect fit,” Nuyda said. “Being vice president of SciNHS would allow me to begin my pathway towards educating my peers and my community while also giving back.”
Officer positions help students during the college application process whenever they put them on their transcripts, because colleges look for leadership roles that a student plays, according to NHS sponsor Kimberly Bickham.
“[Advice I would give] to any future officers is to not sign up to be an officer of every club because you can get easily stressed out,” Bickham said. “Make sure that you can dedicate the time that is necessary to a particular [club].”
Sugay encourages future club officers to start campaigning early to get the word out about a club or organization.
“Holding an officer position definitely teaches a person the value of leadership and cooperation,” Sugay said. “The experience of starting a club and company from scratch also taught me about patience and the value of teamwork.”