Walking on Speedway can be a scary endeavor during Longhorn Welcome, with students bombarding others to join their organizations. Although conversing with school organization recruiters is intimidating, breaking out of your comfort zone and trying out new organizations is important.
UT offers over 1,100 student organizations that involve everything from career-building and culture to dance and even beekeeping.
According to “A Developmental Theory for Higher Education” by Alexander W. Astin, the greater the student’s involvement in college, the greater the amount of student learning and personal development.
“Being involved is associated with a greater sense of satisfaction with their college experience and a greater sense of connection to the campus and the community,” said Aaron Voyles, the executive director of student involvement. “It’s associated with improved stress coping skills and an overall sense of well-being.”
Voyles works with the Successful Student Organizations program to help all student organizations succeed by holding events across campus, such as Longhorn Welcome and Party on the Plaza.
There’s something for everyone at UT, even for students who struggle to find communities they fit in with. Paris Apolinar, the Texas Ballroom head captain and co-country captain, said she would have never left her apartment if she hadn’t joined the organization.
“I could never see myself willingly saying yes to dancing with someone who I didn’t know,” the nutritional sciences senior said. “I am a lot more comfortable with trying new things like going up to someone who doesn’t know how to dance and teaching them, just for fun.”
Despite her nervousness, in her first semester of ballroom, she said she pressured the country captain at the time to let her compete. Apolinar fell in love with the art.
“I (wasn’t) used to dancing so close to people or touching people when I’m dancing,” Apolinar said. “It was a little awkward at first, especially when it’s random people.”
Country dance instructor Sherry Reynolds said dancing was a way to combine her love of music and horseback riding. One allowed her to be musically creative, and the other allowed her to be active.
While the other hobbies proved solitary, dancing was the middle ground that brought her a community.
“When I first started dancing, I would go to Austin Ballroom Dancers every Saturday,” Reynolds said. “I would watch all these UT kids zipping around the floor, doing all this fancy stuff, and I so distinctly remember saying to myself, ‘If I could just get one of those kids to ask me to dance one time, I would be in heaven.’ Now I teach those very kids.”
She said about 90% of her students continue to dance after college. An alumni couple she taught even asked her to officiate their wedding.
“When you’re in a group of people that are all struggling to learn, we start to bond with the people that we endure the struggle with,” Reynolds said.
Additionally, organizations such as the Beevo Beekeeping Society provide an environment for students to work together toward a shared goal.
“I’m very happy at UT right now because I’ve met so many different people, so many different mindsets, so many people I want to be around, and a large part of that was Beevo,” Beevo administrative director Izaac Campos said.
Day-to-day tasks in Beevo include hive checks, feeding the bees sugar water and checking honey production.
Regardless of what getting out of your comfort zone means to you, UT offers an abundance of opportunities, so it’s important to make the most out of your college experience.
Harrison is a journalism senior from Dallas, Texas.
