How Being Involved In School Affects Your Life As An Adult

People always say that being involved in sports and clubs in your school can make a better high school experience.  

Have you ever wondered how it affects you after you graduate?  

Do you use any of the skills you may have learned from high school sports in college or even your current job?  

Maybe you met people who impacted your life greatly. Maybe the experiences you had in those clubs and sports determined what you chose to do for your career.  

 Public School Review states that kids who are involved in extracurricular activities perform better in school and have less absences. Colleges also really pay attention to how involved you were in your school. Students can get scholarships for being involved in clubs and sports while they were in high school. Playing sports can also encourage students to be more social and get out of their comfort zone. 

Some jobs, such as teaching or management positions, require you to have social skills. While sports may not seem important to some, it can teach kids discipline and respect. It can also encourage students to do better academically because they need a certain GPA to participate. 

Carrie Kolowinski was a high school soccer player and club member at Puyallup High School who graduated in 1994. She was involved in Key Club and leadership throughout her high school career. 

“I felt that my friends who weren’t very involved always felt like the athletic kids got to experience more things,” Carrie Kolowinski said. 

Kolowinski had friends who were involved in sports and friends that weren’t. The ones who were involved may have gotten picked by teachers to do more things and the athletic students were more in leadership positions 

 “You learn a lot about different personalities and how to deal with it. You’re all focused on that one goal of winning,” Kolowinski said. 

Regardless of personal feelings you learn how to work well with the people on the team. Learning how to play off each other’s strengths no matter your personal relationship is a big part of teamwork.  

“You just have to learn to adapt and work together and figure it out. I think that goes a long way in life,” Kolowinski said.  

Participating in clubs and sports in your school can also help you get noticed for jobs. It can show that you have good people skills and may be better qualified for certain roles because of it. Kolowinski was involved in soccer, key club and other club activities.  

Learning how to use her determination to succeed helped her find her place in her career in the dental industry.  

Kolowinski is currently the office manager for Johns Family Dentistry, the owner of Mike Sader’s American Automotive and Muffler and has a popular podcast in dentistry called “Behind the Mask. 

“I think that’s why in every job I’ve had since I was 17yearsold I’ve been in a management position,” Kolowinski said.  

When branching out and including yourself in activities you can meet many people. Some of which may be very important in your life. Through schoolrelated activities you could meet your significant other or best friend at an event for something you were involved in during your high school years. The people and experiences from high school can show you what you really wanted to do with your life.  

“Two of my closest friends are friends from high school that I did the exact same groups and played soccer with,” Kolowinski said.  

Maybe the people you meet are only going to be important in your life during your high school career. Either way your experiences with them played a part in who you have become. Kolowinski spoke about how some important people she met through sports are two of her best friends. They met because she was involved in activities through the school with them.  

“They were important in my life 25 years ago and they are important in my life today,” Kolowinski said.  

Playing sports really works on teaching you how to have goals and encouraging you to work with the people around you to achieve them. It shows you that you need to work hard to achieve your goal and you need to put in effort to make things happen in life. 

“Having drive and determination helped me find my niche in the world in dentistry,” Kolowinski said.  

Being active as a kid and learning how to communicate well with others and work hard for what you want is a good skill to develop for life as an adult. The things you experience as you grow up help mold you into who you become later in life. 

“I always say that the foundation of the person I am started with playing sports as a kid,” Kolowinski said.