As a young person transitioning from high school to college, you expect to go to school to get an education, graduate in four(ish) years, earn a reputable degree, and land a great job. Well, that all might be good and true but if that is all you do with your four years at Rockhurst University then you might miss many great opportunities. Rockhurst has around seventy clubs and organizations that you can join and if there is a club that you want to see but we do not have you can create it! Seventy organization means seventy opportunities to get involved and find something that you enjoy doing. Whether it be Fraternity and Sorority Life, Intramurals, Black Student Union, Investments and Economics Club, UNITY, or Campus Ministry, there are so many chances to find what you are passionate about and immerse yourself in the culture of RU. Our clubs and organizations are what bring life to our campus community through programming and events. Being involved in your college/university's student life community has many benefits, including intentional connection with the campus community, bolstering your resumé, and leading to an overall more positive experience during your time in college. Rockhurst Student Life has so much to offer. For some, it might be stress relief and for others, it might be a resumé, but surely, anyone who has ever attended free stuff fair, open mic night, BBQ, talent show, or RockStock can agree that Student Life is what brings the campus together and makes the community that we often speak of so incredibly diverse, vibrant, and welcoming. Above all, it allows us—the students—to form long-lasting relationships with each other.
A hallmark of Jesuit Higher Education is transformation. During our time in the classroom here at RU, we are allowed to broaden our worldview and employ critical thinking skills to examine the world around us and identify where in our world we are needed most. For 500 years, the Jesuits have believed that we all have unique gifts and talents. It is everyone’s job to use those gifts to help others find where they belong. Learning these critical thinking skills in the classroom is great, but we are called to take it a step further by applying these skills and talents to our lives outside of the classroom. Student Life is the perfect place to practice your skills, whether they be communication, organization, financial, teaching, or just generally leading other people towards a common goal, you can find a place within the Rockhurst Student Life Community. Even if you want to be a general member, you are an active participant in the living mission of your organization. Working as a team towards the goal that the organization has set out to achieve.
Being involved in Student Life has been an essential part of my experience at Rockhurst. Starting in the Student Activities Board, I was able to meet a lot of new people and explore KC for free because we all know that the best things in life are free and brought to you by SAB. I also was involved in Alpha Phi Omega, the service fraternity. APO allowed me to immerse myself in the Jesuit Mission of being of service to others while also working alongside my friends. Once again, I was able to get connected with new people from my class and with the upperclassmen. APO was a great opportunity to strengthen my desire to serve others and meet new people within the Rockhurst Community. In the spring I was able to join a Fraternity. I learned a lot about myself, and I was able to dive right into a new community of people within Student Life. The spring semester also brought Student Ambassador and Orientation Leader applications. The point of all this is to say that my experience at RU would not have been the same without Student Life. Each organization helped me to grow differently and develop my skills—my gifts and talents—while also helping others to do the same. I am currently in my last semester here at RU and as I have been reflecting on my experience recently one thing keeps coming to my mind: gratitude. Gratitude for all of the people who have helped me to develop as a person and for all of the experiences that RU has given to me both inside and outside of the classroom. Most of all, gratitude for the memories that I have made during my time at RU, most of which would have been impossible without taking the first step in my transformation as a person, which was joining a club at Rockhurst.
