“I used to be really scared and lonely, but I finally found my community,” freshman Zachary Seigel said.
Extracurricular activities have helped two KPS freshmen, Judile Finjap and Zachary Siegel, to be more confident, both inside and outside of school.
Many students join the school orchestras, such as Kalamazoo Central freshman Judile Finjap. However, very few stick with it as long as he has.
“I like orchestra because the class is fun, and the violin is easy to play, in my opinion. I wanted to be different,” Finjap said..
Finjap joined the King-Westwood Elementary orchestra in fourth grade, like his brother and sister before him. He picked up the violin because his older brother and sister had already played cello and viola.
“The biggest concert I’ve ever played in was the 2024 Winter Concert with the school band and choir, but I wasn’t intimidated because the orchestra has made me more confident in these situations,” Finjap said..
As stated earlier, Finjap has stuck with the orchestra longer than most, but he’s considering switching to recreational playing.
“I already have all my art credits, so I don’t need the class anymore,” said Finjap.
According to the study The Benefits of Participating in Extracurricular Activities, written by Claudette Christison, “extracurricular activities provide opportunities for students to connect with positive social groups that influence students to avoid negative life choices.”
Another student, Zachary Seigel, is in Knights of the Neighborhood, a club where students pick up trash and do volunteer work.
“I joined because, you know, I felt bad because no one else signed up to join. I wanted to help a brother out,” Siegel said.
Seigel became a member of the Knights of the Neighborhood at the start of the 24-25 school year. He feels it is a great way to spend his time and believes that his volunteer work will positively impact his college applications.
According to St Johnsbury Academy, “extracurricular activities are crucial to youth development for many reasons, with a main focus being that extracurriculars foster confidence in youth.”
Seigel believes joining Knights of the Neighborhood has increased his confidence. He plans to continue participating in the club next year and wants more people to join.
“I’m a pretty confident guy, and thanks to Knights of the Neighborhood I can talk to anyone including girls,” said Seigel.
Joining clubs or other school programs can help students build self-confidence.
“I think every kid should try an extracurricular at some point in their life,” said Finjap.
