students who share similar interests.

     Clubs also offer a pathway for career exploration. Among the clubs at Rose, Health  Occupations Students of America (HOSA), Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and mock trial are the most well known for influencing students’ career and college paths by offering opportunities to get hands-on experience with jobs in business, health science and law.

     Members of both HOSA and FBLA are given the opportunity to compete in regional and state events. While the projects that students complete for the clubs are not a direct reflection of what working in these fields would be like, it gives the students a basic understanding of whether or not they would want to further their education in that field of study.

     FBLA gives students the opportunity to build leadership skills and work with other students while practicing techniques that would be beneficial for those who are interested in a business-related career. Students are exposed to different components of the business world that can help them get an idea of what that area of study would be like. The skills that FBLA focuses on include speaking and leadership skills, as well as collaboration techniques. All of the practices in FBLA give students the opportunity to learn skills that would benefit them in not only the business field, but any field that involves collaboration with others.

     Similar to FBLA, HOSA allows students to build similar skills, but geared towards professions in the medical field. HOSA allows students to create a network with people who are also interested in healthcare-related professions through club meetings and projects, students are given the opportunity to dive deeper into a healthcare topic of their choice.

     Lastly, mock trial has given students a way to learn about the legal system and the careers within it. Through local, regional and state competition, students who participate in mock trial are given a glimpse of what debating different court cases would like. They are set up similar to how an actual court trial would be, giving students an authentic feel for the profession that they are practicing.

     Many high school students do not have exposure to a wide variety of professions, without clubs it would be very difficult to find interests and create the social connections that clubs offer. Clubs are a great way to explore different topics of interest and potentially help students find their future career.