Hey high schoolers, let’s start to think about how to create your own ‘deeper meaning.’

We all hate to do activities in life that we are forced to do. It's hard to motivate oneself to do household chores or homework for a class we dislike. But when it comes to your extracurricular activities, you can spend your valuable personal time doing something you like! It may take a few tries during your underclassmen years, but that is what it takes to find the activities you like best.

If you have feel as though your extracurricular activities may not jump out of your future college application it's ok. Summer is the time to think about your involvement and whether you can change, develop or enhance the skills you gain from becoming involved at a deeper level.

Here's a great example. Take GRHS junior Zoe Shea. Since an early age, Zoe has had a passion for art. She's taken art classes, participated in projects and created art in her own time. Last Spring, we brainstormed about how she could create opportunities for her to develop skills such as leadership, teaching, organizing and being a creative artist at a deeper level. The following week, she spoke with her art teacher, Mrs. Cella, and learned about the Glen Rock farmer’s market art project. They were in need of student leadership.

Throughout last Summer, Zoe was one of the student leaders who assisted in leading weekly art projects, she also attended meetings with adult volunteers where she helped organize the art projects and aided in creatively designing both conceptually and literally each and every week. She would work with the public and local community to aid children and adults with participating in the art projects. She learned how to create, organize, speak publicly, and work with the public. She ended up with a fantastic volunteer experience, for which she was able to learn essential skills that are needed in college and beyond.

Whether it’s playing a sport, being involved in theatre productions, music, dance, art, working part-time, you can find opportunities to develop the ‘soft skills’ and leadership skills that will represent you best on your college application!

Deeper level is a catch phrase used to talk about how one can find more meaning in what you do over just 'going through the motion' of the activity.

Throughout life, in general, people have to take a risk, try out a new role and/or expose their insecurities in order to find deeper meaning.

So when you think about how you spend your time, how do you feel? Do you find it fun and fulfilling or are you 'going through the motions?'