Why I Want to Be in National Honor Society: Personal Statement

Introduction

For many high school students, finding the motivation behind joining the National Honor Society is simple. As an organization that celebrates all-around excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, and character, NHS is an accomplishment in and of itself. However, the vision statement of the organization suggests that NHS membership should be more than a mere accolade. Members should understand their individual development, model that integrity and leadership to influence others in serving their school and community. And so, though individual notions of the goals of application essay submissions may vary, here are mine. During the summer of 2021, I learned that I had been eligible and was therefore encouraged to apply for the National Honor Society. I felt that joining the ranks of those invited to join would be an honor. However, in committing to the application, I struggled to understand the motivations behind being a worthy candidate and now find myself reflecting strongly on individuation, motivation, and shared purpose.

In becoming a member of the chapter, I hope to explore and thereby decide upon my unconscious motivations, external and internal, for undertaking the service initiatives I once achieved for a sense of fulfillment. While several factors are at play, the following text will reflect on who I am at my best, what qualities in me will lend themselves to the local NHS Chapter, and what my community means to me.

The Significance of the National Honor Society

Throughout its 100-year history, the National Honor Society has become widely known for its dedication to recognizing middle and high school students who have shown potential and aptitude for scholarship, service, leadership, and character. First brought to life by the superintendent of the National Association of Secondary School Principals in 1921, NHS has since represented the values that its acronym has long personified. I have always believed that having your name associated with such a prestigious group of individuals can only better your reputation and how others perceive you, both in this case and others to come. The values that NHS itself promotes act as an insurmountable motivation to join the society. For as long as I can remember, I have aspired to become an individual who so easily embodied such virtues. As the NHS continues to grow worldwide, the value of its community only seems to grow with it. By gathering these individuals to celebrate their accomplishments and to recognize their hard work, the NHS fosters a sense of camaraderie among its members that I believe is not as easy to come by in surrounding communities. In engaging with the members of a community, those individuals may become more likely to invest themselves in that community. In addition to this sense of community and personal growth, the NHS also provides future opportunities for college and career help. This commitment to cost-effective service, combined with character and achievement, has the potential to open doors for each National Honor Society member. With these components in mind, I have grown to understand and greatly value what the National Honor Society represents.

Personal Qualities and Achievements

When it comes down to it, joining the National Honor Society is all about the time, effort, and commitment it takes to demonstrate qualities that go above and beyond traditional academic career achievements. Despite the fact that I've placed academically, I did not have any motivation to join the National Honor Society when I first received my invitation last year. It wasn't until later on when I saw just how strong my academics were in the eyes of others and how I wasn't using that to my advantage in bettering my community and highlighting my strengths that I truly began to consider joining the National Honor Society. Not everyone has a strong record of academics, nor do they have the personal characteristics in society that the National Honor Society looks for. Taking a step back and looking at who you are from your own perspective rather than what society thinks is what truly inspired me to become a member of the National Honor Society. From the beginning of junior year, it has been emphasized to the senior class that we write down all of our accomplishments throughout high school in a memoir for the fact that leadership positions and personal growth as a result of achieving something great will stay with you for the rest of your life. As I wrote down all my accomplishments, it struck me that publishing my memoir through creating my list of leadership and personal accomplishments was the missing piece to gaining acceptance and demonstrating a true upper echelon standard of excellence combined with strong academics. Over the course of my high school career, I struggled with self-acceptance and felt I did not fit in. I also struggled to get leadership experiences due to the fact that most tutoring programs required leaders to be eighteen and older. These adversities have helped me appreciate and cultivate my sense of belonging at the National Honor Society.

Community Service and Leadership Experience

During the summer of my freshman year, I had the opportunity to volunteer as a tutor. This small taste of community service primarily fed my interest in the National Honor Society. I was hesitant to apply for membership as a sophomore; I did not think that I had enough experience to set me apart as a potential candidate in comparison to other members of my high school. Working on different service projects has given me the opportunity to broaden my view and empathize with others. Specifically, one service-leading project is extremely meaningful to me because of the impact I was able to have on my mentor while also raising enough money to fund scholarship opportunities for young girls seeking refuge. A project that gave me experience with leadership and group communication was Gift Giving. I gathered a committee and coordinated activities to execute our plan for holding a fundraiser from start to finish. Although this project was rooted in service, the experience stretched my thoughts and understanding of leadership and community service. Other experiences that demonstrate my leadership include my work with my church group as a youth intern, in which I mentored middle school girls. I also work at a local organization as a lead on the sorting team.

These projects are meaningful not because of the ego-boosting satisfaction of resume-worthy opportunities to "help my community," but because they demonstrate my commitment to a cause. I genuinely enjoy serving others and feel emotionally connected to every project I work on. In the office as recording secretary, I assist in developing agendas and focusing on group discussions to make progress with efficiency. I work side by side with others who have spent the majority of their time working to maintain a high standard of community service and personal growth. Our mission reflects my personal beliefs and experiences that I explained in the description of my community service and leadership roles.

Conclusion and Future Goals

In conclusion, I wish to reassert my belief in the importance of academic excellence. Throughout my time in high school, and especially while engaging with other applicants and the current members during my service project, I found it clear that most of them value their studies and academic organizations. I came to understand the novice perspective better and got more involved in academics, two things for which I am very grateful. My general impression of those involved in the National Honor Society is that they are academically inclined, engaged with their community, and present leadership experiences as a result. After writing this reflection, I feel more connected to my goals of helping others and obtaining a degree, specifically one centered around the natural sciences, such as environmental science. My experience with tutoring non-native English speakers at the local community center as a service project informs these ambitions in part. Alternatively, considering that so many people I have known over the last year and a half applied for the National Honor Society compelled me to clarify what character leadership service looks like for me. It made me remember the importance of preparing for the future and simultaneously reveling in the present, a lesson that holds true today. Some are finding it difficult to understand how the National Honor Society, or students like themselves, belong there because they are not 'outstanding leaders,' are coasting through high school, or are only doing a few formal and necessary community service-related activities. What can you glean from some of their reflections?