• In addition to the classes, you take while in high school, it is also important to be actively involved on and or off campus to gain valuable experience as well as discover areas of interest. You may gain this experience from clubs, sports, volunteering, jobs, interships, summer programs! 

    Please use the following resourses to help discover different activites. 

  • Clubs and Organizations 

     

    It is important to participate in clubs and organizations so you may discover interest as well as gain life lessons such as time management and leadership.

    As you beginning your high school career, decide on two to three activities to be involved in. This may include a club, sports, student government, band, dance, etc.

    If you are planning to attend college after high school, colleges appreciate seeing students who have been committed to extracurricular activities. Ideally, you will ascend into a leadership position overtime. Yes, academics plays a role in the admissions process but even more so they want to see a well-rounded student.

    Dulles High School offers several clubs and organizations on campus. Take time today to check out the DHS website and reach out to the sponsors for more information on how to join!

    Dulles HS Clubs and Organizations

  • Volunteering

     Incorporating service into your life is incredibly rewarding and can become a positive, life-changing experience. As you consider volunteer options, look for opportunities that fit your interests and skills. Summer is a wonderful time to begin volunteering when you might have more free time on your hands. You can be deeply involved in a one-time event or you can commit to a couple of hours each week. 

     
    There are innumerable benefits to volunteering and sharing your time and talent with others.
    1. Do some good. As a volunteer, you have the opportunity to make a difference—change lives, support a cause, or improve your community.
    2. Test-drive career options. If you think you want to go into medicine, teaching, or even large animal husbandry, spend volunteer hours in a clinic, a school or on a farm. Volunteering opens new vistas and provides an opportunity to explore different career paths.
    3. Polish job-readiness skills. Being dependable, on time, and responsible will not only make you a great volunteer but also prepare you for entering the world of work. In addition, you can develop communication, organization, and invaluable “people” skills, all of which are valued by employers.
    4. Expand your network. Volunteering is a great way to make new friends and build solid connections to businesses, schools, or other community-based organizations. These are the kinds of relationships that tend to grow and blossom, particularly if you find yourself working in a team or supporting a cause. A byproduct of the experience can be a strong personal recommendation for college or a future job.
    5. Challenge your comfort zone. If life as a high school student has become a little too boring and predictable, try volunteering in a totally unfamiliar part of your community or serving a population with which you don’t ordinarily come into contact. Expose yourself to new ideas, challenges and situations that will help you grow as a person.
    6. Hone leadership skills. As a volunteer, you may be presented with opportunities to build supervisory, management, or decision-making skills as a team leader or project organizer. These are talents that colleges and future employers value highly.
    7. Upgrade college portfolio. Yes, colleges want to see that you’ve done something more with your summer than Facebooking. To volunteer is to give strong evidence of character, commitment, and motivation—all of which are plusses in the college admissions process.
    8. Discover an essay topic. The best college essays flow out of personal experience. In fact, essay questions often ask about significant achievements, events, people, or encounters—all of which may be found in the act of volunteering.
    9. Learn something. You learn by doing. And if you’re lucky, you may even be offered specific skill training, which you can take with you long after the event or project is completed.
    10. Do some good. This cannot be overstated.
    Source: Nancy Griesemer, http://collegeexplorations.blogspot.com/2010/06

  • Jobs 

    1. Decide on the job you want or need. Consider the type of job, the location, the hours, and the pay. You may not be able to find a job that meets all your needs, but given the current employment situation, you should strive to find one that meets as many as possible.
     
    2. Complete a self-analysis. What do you have to offer an employer? What kind of skills do you have? What previous experience do you have -- paid or volunteer? What have you learned at school that might be useful in your ideal summer job?
     
    3. Develop a resume. You will seem more professional if you present a professional-looking resume to potential employers. Check Resume Resources to put one together and attach a Cover Letter to the front.
     
    4. Use all your available resources. Talk with your parents and older family members, your friends' parents, your teachers, and any other adults you know and ask them if they have any contacts at your ideal job's company. Give them copies of your resume. This is called networking, and it will give you the highest chances of landing your ideal job.
     
    5. Hit the pavement. Read the newspaper want ads and surf the Web.
     
    6. Apply for the jobs that interest you. Make sure you are familiar with job applications and have all the information you need to complete them. Attach your resume as a supplement.
     
    7. Interview. Make sure you know something about the company. Develop answers to common interview questions and think of a few questions you could ask. Practice, practice, practice with a family member or a friend. Dress conservatively for the interview.
     
    8. Follow-up. If you are not offered a position on the spot, or if you don't hear from an employer after a few days, call or email to reiterate your interest in the position. Be certain to identify yourself and leave your contact information.

  • Internships

    Internships: the position of a student or trainee who works in an organization, sometimes without pay, in order to gain work experience or satisfy requirements for a qualification.

    You can learn a lot about a field, and gain valuable real world experience by working along side experienced professionals as mentors. Doing an internship can demonstrate to a college that you are actively pursing your interests and have experience in the workplace. Although some internships are paid positions, you may need to accept minimal compensation or an unpaid position to gain experiences that allow for exposure to real work environments in an field of your choice, confirmation of your interest, and a chance to work with a mentor.

    How do I find about possible internship opportunities? 

    • Look through the following internship search directories.Some of these search sites may require you to look through each job description for required qualifications. Some internships are specifically for high school students, others require you to be a college student. If you encounter the latter, there is no harm in calling to inquire about the possibility of allowing a high school student to intern, especially if you are taking advanced classes or have experience relevant to the job.
    • Cogito (Note: In this directory, a certain amount of "playing" with search criteria is required to produce an internship list relevant to you, but it produces good results.)
    • Internships.com
    • CollegeBoard's Big Future Internship Search
     
    • Ask your friends and family! Often students find internships through their parents, family friends, or neighbors, so tell everyone you know what you are looking for. Stop in at local companies and ask if they need any additional summer help. Unpaid internships might also be available at a local community organization or non-profit. If your interest includes government or you want to hone your organizational skills, offer to contribute your time to a campaign effort.
    • Create your own internship. Sometimes professors offer research opportunities and internships for high school students. Start by calling the department you are interested in and talk to an administrative assistant. 
    • Try a Web Search Finally, for more opportunities, try a web search using words such as "high school internship in Houston, Texas"