Joining Interact

Why You Should Join Interact

It can be hard to make friends at a school as big as Cal High if you’re a freshman or a new student, especially over Zoom. A club like Interact helps with that. While Interact is a volunteer club, their meetings and service events help you grow, meet a lot of new people, and form friendships you might not have otherwise had. They bring together different types of people and help them to bond over a common interest: helping others. Joining Interact helps build social skills and friendships. Just this year alone there have been a lot of community-building events, like the Among Us bonding event over Zoom.

Serving the community is Interact’s main purpose. Different events, each gives back to the community in a creative way. One example is their Rocks for Positivity Event, where Interactors were able to personalize rocks for their community and spread them around their neighborhood. The rocks had inspirational messages such as, “Be Yourself” and “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Rocks were put on local trails, around the community, and other local areas. There was also an event where Interactors made alphabet kits to give to kids who don’t have access to additional tutoring or education.

Distance learning can often be overwhelming for many of us and having a positive and helpful environment is crucial. A club like Interact isn’t just for volunteering, it's also a place where you can meet new people and have fun. Interact is a versatile club and that's what makes it unique. At every meeting, Interactors are placed into social breakout rooms where they can play fun games, have conversations, and hang out. At events, Interactors can also socialize with each other and have fun. In this remote setting, we don’t always have the opportunity to interact with people and get to share our ideas, but Interact is a place where you can socialize with fellow students.

Being a part of Interact has many opportunities and rewards. With fifty hours of community service, Interact members can receive a stole at graduation for their time dedicated to helping others. There are opportunities to meet new people, do fun activities, and much more. Interact has lots to offer for anybody at Cal High, whether you enjoy making things or being directly involved with the community. There is truly something for everyone!

Why We Joined Interact

Mihir Gill-

I joined Interact because I was looking for a place where I could be involved and give back to my community in various ways. Interact is a great opportunity for me to meet new people, as well as do fun and helpful activities that I could enjoy and know that it could bring more positivity into my community. I’m grateful that I joined Interact because it helped me get out of my comfort zone and try something new that I wanted to do for a long time.

Before joining Interact, I felt that volunteering would be a lot of work and would be very time-consuming. I thought volunteering was just doing work and not having much choice of what to do. Interact has changed my perspective on volunteering and has taught me to cherish helping people in ways that I wouldn't have known about until I joined.

I appreciate that Interact is a club where I can communicate with people and be creative with the different volunteer opportunities that Interact offers. I now realize that volunteering isn't just about doing work, it's about the little things that can have an impact on the community. Overall, Interact has been a great experience for me and has made me more involved with my community.

Tanvi Pandya

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In middle school, I constantly heard from teachers, upperclassmen, and family members that the easiest way to make friends was to get involved at school. When I heard of Interact, a volunteering club on campus, it sounded like an easy way to meet new people and get volunteer hours. Killing two birds with one stone.

However, Interact ended up being much more than just an easy way to get volunteer hours. Through Interact, I have made new friends and gotten the chance to speak to people from different places and communities that I would have otherwise never spoken to, which is very interesting.

It has also felt very genuinely rewarding to be a part of. Events don’t feel like a dreary obligation, more like fun social gatherings. Furthermore, usually after events, I feel like I’ve done something that benefits my community and that I’ve given back to the community in some way. The events I go to help change the way I view the world and I feel very fortunate to have so many chances to repay my community.

Interact has been a positive experience for me and everyone else who has joined. I couldn’t be happier that I joined in freshman year and I hope to stay in Interact until I graduate!