National Junior Honor Society Essay Example

Joining National Junior Honor Society has been a goal of mine ever since I found out about it. Since then, I’ve been working to keep my grades up and trying out new things. 

I often ask a lot of questions while in class, even if it’s something I don’t have to know in order to get a good grade in that class. I do this more often when I’m interested in the topic we’re talking about and because I’m there to learn. When we’re working in groups, I try my best to guide our group in the right direction, such as in STEM on projects we’re building, or in family consumer science doing food labs. I try to spread the workload and keep things organized. I often encourage group members to ask questions, as I’ve noticed that asking for help could be difficult. It often isn’t for me, but sometimes it is but then I remember it’s worse when you mess it up and feel stupid. Personally, I’m happy to help others when they ask and when I know what I’m doing. I assume others feel the same way, plus, it’s a sign you seem like you know what you’re doing.  

Language is a large part of my life and is something I use and study daily. In addition to English, I study Chinese outside of school. From what I heard, Mandarin Chinese is the most difficult language to learn for native English speakers but my first language is actually Cantonese Chinese, which is very similar to Mandarin. I’m most fluent in English because it’s the only language in which I’m getting a formal education, but I take Mandarin Chinese classes once a week. I feel like learning the language has been a way for me to connect with the culture as well. Although I do have somewhat of an advantage, learning a new language is still challenging. Sometimes I simply can’t associate certain words with their meanings. Learning a new language has forced me to develop study skills that I never really had to learn because I’ve never really had to study for anything. This could be really helpful in higher grades when the material is more difficult and I’ll have less time to study with more priorities and extracurriculars. Besides knowing the language, learning Chinese has benefited me in many ways.

Something that has been keeping me busy as well is music. I play the cello, ukulele, and sing. I’m also hoping to learn guitar and piano someday. Playing an instrument takes time and practice, something I had to learn. When I originally started, I had no plans on what I was going to be doing with music; watching others make music just seemed so cool so I wanted to try it. Playing cello made me realize how amazing music was and made me want to learn more about music and play more instruments. I’ve developed better organization skills so I would know when I need my cello at school and ways to organize my music. These skills really helped once I got to middle school and started joining many clubs and groups. In addition to learning to appreciate music more, I’ve also met many amazing people and made new friends through music. 

I plan to one day pursue a career in music. I’m not totally sure what I want to do, but I think I want to be a producer. I have a bit of a hard time coming up with my own ideas but I think I could do a good job contributing to others’ ideas. I’ll probably still continue playing cello, likely in a local orchestra or in the music I might produce. I’m not sure right now and I feel like I worry about it too much. I know I shouldn’t worry about my future so much now but I really don’t want to be stuck with a job that I hate or have to rely on other people. I want to be fulfilled with what I do and also be able to fully financially support myself doing it. I know there are going to be times when it gets stressful even with something I love, but the fun parts should make it worth it. 

All that sounds impossible to me right now, but playing an instrument was something I never thought I’d be able to do. Now it’s one of my favorite things to do. 6 year old me couldn’t even imagine themself in middle school. When I was younger, everything seemed impossible to me but while I was doing all these seemingly crazy things, I never thought about how it was impossible; I just went for it. Every time I accomplished something, I looked back and thought, “A year or even a few months ago I never would’ve thought I could do that. That was kinda crazy.” I’m hoping that by joining NJHS I will get a chance to meet new people with similar goals as me and to grow as a student and person.