At NSCS, our members come first. This organization exists to help students succeed and achieve, and we’ve found that’s best accomplished by giving members a role — an important role — in leadership. Student leaders get a chance to shape their chapter in a way that best serves their fellow members. Of course these student leadership positions come with a lot of responsibility, but serving as a student leader is an honor that comes with many benefits. Here are a few key reasons to run for a student leadership position with NSCS.
Student leaders gain valuable leadership experience.
NSCS feels so strongly about the value of leadership that it’s one of our Three Pillars. Students who graduate with leadership skills and experience have an easier time finding a desirable job post-graduation. They move up and are promoted more quickly, and they tend to be well-liked by colleagues. Serving an NSCS student leader is a sure-fire way to gain excellent leadership experience as an undergraduate.
As a student leader, you’ll be leading a group of your peers, but with the guidance of your chapter advisors. You’ll have plenty of support as you grow and develop as a leader.
The campaigning process teaches you about yourself.
Part of running for a student leadership position is campaigning and describing to members why you would make a good student leader. This process will help you get to know yourself and your strengths. You’ll also learn how to describe those strengths to others.
As you begin interviewing for jobs, being this well acquainted with your strengths and weaknesses will benefit you. Interviewers often ask questions about candidates’ strengths and weaknesses, and you can answer based on the strengths you discovered while running for student leadership.
You get a say in the way your chapter is run.
NSCS takes all members’ opinions seriously, but as a chapter leader, you have an even stronger voice when it comes to the way your chapter runs. You can weigh in on volunteer organizations to partner with, events to host, the way Induction Ceremonies are run, and so forth. If you’re someone who likes to feel like an active part of something, student leadership is likely a good fit for you. You’ll be heard as a student leader, and you can also make sure other members’ voices are heard.
Student leaders have many networking opportunities.
Building a network of professional associates is so important. NSCS gives all members opportunities for network building, but student leaders have even more opportunities in this regard. As a student leader, you’ll meet advisors from your chapter and other chapters. You’ll meet current and former NSCS student leaders, too. As you get to know these people, you can learn from their experiences, work with them as mentors, and turn to them for advice.
You fine-tune your speaking skills.
During the campaign process, you’ll get many chances to speak in public. If you’re elected as a student leader, you’ll have even more opportunities to speak. Many people find public speaking intimidating at first, but they become much better with practice. Serving as a student leader is a great way to get that practice and push beyond your fears.
If you’ve been thinking about running for a student leadership position in NSCS, we encourage you to take the plunge. Whether or not you are elected as a leader, the experience of campaigning and running for office is a highly valuable one. Consider the benefits above, and start writing those campaign speeches.
