Many of us hear the cliche advice from parents and advisors to “get involved.” While this is true, getting involved shouldn’t be a task or annoyance. When you’re bogged down with school work, anything you do on the side should be for a purpose or passion. Otherwise, it’s really just one big waste of time. With Hartford being extremely diverse, many would think “they’re probably isn’t anything for me.” In fact, it is the opposite and ironically many of the things you can do are often paid. Executive positions in clubs and organizations often involve a paycheck, for doing something you like and looks great on a resume. Here there are so many different options of things you can involve yourself in. If you want to interact and hang out with people who have the same culture as you, you can be apart of the African Student Union, Brothers and Sisters United, Caribbean American Student Association, Hispanic & Latino Student Association, and Strong Independent Sisters. If any of these don’t fit what you’re looking for, there are endless other options whether it be academic, religious, performance athletic, greek life, or community service related. Many of these clubs allow you to meet new people who might be able to guide or help you when it comes to finding a job after graduation. Another advantage of getting involved is it might allow you to find other avenues you want to explore for a career. If you don’t have any interest, joining a club or organization could just allow you to step away from the books and focus on something else and have some fun. Even joining the yoga or photography club to let off some stress could eventually pay off in your academic life.