Carolyn Olin-Johnson
Do students who participate in extracurricular activities have more of a positive college experience? According to a study done by Alyce Holland and Thomas Andre of Iowa State, “research indicates that participation in extracurricular activities, including both athletic and nonathletic activities, is positively correlated with desirable personality/social characteristics” [1]. The students of Concordia have benefited from a number of activities from athletics to music to theatre. Not only do the students of the Concordia benefit from extracurricular activities, but the college itself also reaps the benefits. The increase of extracurricular activities produces a rise of academic excellence and in addition benefit the experiences students gain.
Carolyn Olin Johnson is a 1958 Concordia graduate who was involved on campus. While at Concordia, she was the co-director of Frosh Frolics and was a member of the Nu Sigma Ro society on campus [2]. These two activities left Carolyn with not only memories, but they also led her to meet her future husband. Carolyn met her husband through another society on campus. Today, Carolyn still keeps connected with her classmates through the blue garter girls. This is a group of fourteen girls that have been writing round robin letters to each other to stay connected through births and death for fifty-six years.
Extracurricular activities always had an impact on Concordia College. After World War II, activities started to grow. “After the war, student life continued in the familiar channels of extracurricular activities and social life” [3]. In years after the war, Concordia athletics started to expand. Sports programs including baseball, hockey, golf, tennis, and track were put into place. Though the times were primarily different, music and athletics started to pick up in years after the war. In 1949, the Concordia Choir went on its first international tour, preforming for packed venues in Norway. Many colleges provide a number of clubs a student can attend, ranging from electing a student government to service organizations and athletics [4].
People wanted to get the most out of their college experience. Students who started their college experience wanted to improve their academic success and develop skills in the workforce by gaining friends [5]. Students are able to do this through extracurricular activities that are brought forth by their college. Many students who finish their college years, tend to still be active in outside clubs. Carolyn Olin Johnson to this day is still connected with her classmates through a club that they decided to start in college. Through extracurricular activities, students are able to gain skills that not only help them through their college years, but also for the rest of their lives. Another way that students benefit from extracurricular activities is by performing better in the classroom. Studies have shown students gain a better recognition in their academic performance by enhancing self motivation to still stay enrolled in the club or athletics they are in [6].
Essay by Joshua Berg
[1] Holland, Alyce. "Participation in Extracurricular Activities in Secondary School: What Is Known, What Needs to Be Known?" 57, no. 4 (1987): 437-66. 447
[2] Carolyn Olin Johnson, interviewed by Connor Hanson, October 11, 2013
[3] Engelhardt, Carroll L. On Firm Foundation Grounded: The First Century of Concordia College (1891-1991). Moorhead, Minn.: College, 1991. 181
[4] Lawhorn, Bill. 2008. "Extracurricular activities: The afterschool connection." Occupational Outlook Quarterly 52, no. 4: 16-21. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed December 11, 2014). 20
[5] Lawhorn, Bill. 2008. "Extracurricular activities: The afterschool connection." Occupational Outlook Quarterly 52, no. 4: 16-21. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed December 11, 2014). 17
[6] Lawhorn, Bill. 2008. "Extracurricular activities: The afterschool connection." Occupational Outlook Quarterly 52, no. 4: 16-21. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed December 11, 2014). 17