Our biggest hope at NSCS is always that we have a positive impact on our members. We give our members lots of flexibility to participate in the opportunities and programs they feel are best suited to their unique needs as students. As such, it is always really interesting to hear from members about how NSCS has impacted them. Every student answers this question differently, and every answer gives us different insight into how members are benefiting from our honors society.
Daniela Espinosa is an NSCS alumna who served as a chapter officer. When asked how NSCS impacted her, she replied,
“NSCS gave me my first taste of leadership. I’d never had a leadership position, and actually became an officer a few months after becoming a new member.”
Daniela’s experience was not unusual. College graduates are called upon to be leaders, both in the workforce and in graduate or professional school. However, the typical college experience does not always offer a lot of opportunities to develop leadership skills. So many of our members rely on NSCS for these invaluable leadership opportunities.
While Daniela chose to get involved with chapter leadership, there are other leadership opportunities available through NSCS, too. Some students help organize community service projects in collaboration with organizations like the YMCA. Other students work on political campaigns, leading groups of campaigners.
What’s also important to note about Daniela’s experience is that she was able to serve as an officer just a few months after joining. NSCS does not restrict these roles to older or more experienced members. They are open to anyone — even newer members like Daniela at the time.
We’re willing to bet that Daniela’s leadership experience serves her well throughout her lifetime. Leadership opportunities like this allow students to become better communicators. They boost student confidence, help them relate better to others, and facilitate personal growth. That’s definitely a positive impact.
Alex Rye, a student at Michigan State University, is another NSCS member who we spoke with about this topic. An upbeat guy, Alex was happy to tell us about one of the first valuable experiences he had as an NSCS member. In fact, the experience happened at his induction ceremony. In Alex’s own words,
“I never really public spoke before, but at our induction ceremony, I spoke to over 500 people at once.”
Public speaking is such a common fear! Most people really need to practice public speaking in order to get past the anxiety it causes them. While there are public speaking classes in college, most only require students to speak to the rest of the class — a rather small group. There simply aren’t that many opportunities to practice speaking to big groups of 500+ people, but NSCS offered this opportunity for Alex.
If we were to follow Alex through the rest of his college years and career, we bet we would find that he takes on a lot of other leadership roles that would have intimidated him previously. As students grow in their public speaking ability, they also tend to grow in confidence.
The positive impact of NSCS membership can last a lifetime. Members who take advantage of the program’s many leadership positions, public speaking opportunities, and internships will enter the workforce feeling well-prepared and confident. And with a start like that, these students are often promoted quite quickly into bigger roles. If you want to really get you career off to a running start, joining NSCS is a great way to do it. The impact is life-long.
