We had the great opportunity of interviewing Joshita Padala, a student from Virginia Tech about: Extracurriculars
Here are some of her qualifications:
Education Junior chair in the Association for Women in Computing at Virginia Tech
Public Relations chair for the VT Science Olympiad
Majoring in Computer Science
Here are some important words she shares:
"Initially, I was involved in all different types. But as I got to junior and senior year, I made sure to narrow it down to just clubs related to engineering, academics and music. "
Q: What type of organizations or clubs were you involved in in high school that you feel are noteworthy?
A: Technology Student Association (TSA), Knights in Action (volunteering), National Honors Society and Tri-M National music honors society.
Q: Were you more involved in competitive teams/clubs or were you in more leadership positions?
A: I did Technology Student Association, from 10th-12th grade. I competed in regional and state tournaments and was able to even go to nationals once. During senior year, I was the Vice President. I also competed in some Speech tournaments during my Freshman year. So in conclusion I was both involved in leadership and competitive aspects.
Q: How did you determine what extracurriculars to join? Friend recommendations, parents, personal interests, etc.
A: Initially, when I first got to high school I kinda joined everything that other families recommended. So in Freshman year, I was in all different kinds of clubs, including: Speech and Debate and The Cross Country team for the high school. Later on in the year, I realized that maybe not everything is for me, but it was a good experience because I was able to see which clubs were for me and what were not.
Q: Did you ever prioritize your extracurriculars above your schoolwork or grades?
A: Only when the competition came close. Because we had to spend extra time to finalize everything, and make it perfect.
Q: Were you involved in a variety of activities or did you focus on one theme in all your extracurriculars?
A: Initially, I was involved in all different types. But as I got to junior and senior year, I made sure to narrow it down to just clubs related to engineering, academics and music.
Q: For some of your major extracurriculars, roughly how many hours a week did you spend involved in it (preparing for competitions, attending meetings, etc)?
A: It was different week to week. For example when the date for the competition came closer we obviously had more work but other than that at max like 10 hours a week.
Q: Did any of your extracurriculars shape your future or are related to what career path you want to pursue?
A: Mostly TSA (Technology Student Association) Because initially I knew I wanted to pursue a major in Engineering but I wasn’t sure what. But after exploring all the different events in TSA relating to different specializations in Engineering I knew I wanted to pursue Computer Science.
Q: Did your courses and extracurriculars correlate or have they been mutually beneficial?
A: Mutually beneficial
Q: In volunteering, did you volunteer in a field you would consider for a future career?
A: I wanted to go into Biomedical Engineering in the beginning so I volunteered for Novant Health hoping to get an insight in the biomedical field.
Learn more about Joshita and her experience on her LinkedIn account.
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