From missed graduations and proms to missed college tours and sporting events, being a student is anything but easy right now.

Regardless if you’re returning to in-person education or not, school has never looked so different. The uncertainty of what extracurricular activity to do is one of the many worries students face today, leaving many wondering how they can not only highlight their talents and interests in the age of COVID but also stand out in the college admissions process.

Have no fear! You don’t need to look too far or risk your own safety in order to find your niche. Below are some virtual opportunities to consider for both high school and college students.

Work with a Nonprofit Organization

Student Impact is a nonprofit committed to relieving the effects the pandemic has had on K-12 education. It aspires to change the educational process by giving students a say in it, and it promotes student leadership while creating resources for struggling schools and teachers during the shift to e-learning.

Since its creation in April 2020, this organization has created a summer leadership program for high school students to promote civic engagement in their local areas. Yours truly participated in it! With their guidance, I created my community service project. My assigned group and I wrote to the local elders in our communities suffering from isolation in retirement homes and hospitals while earning community service hours!

Student Impact has also initiated a mentorship program for at-risk teen youth in New Jersey, funded book drives for low-income schools, started a pen-pal program, and began a K-12 tutoring program with many similar works underway.  

Student Impact is looking for creative, resourceful high school and college students, and it’s completely virtual and seasonal.

While it is unpaid, being an intern with this nonprofit is worth every bit of your time if you have a strong interest in helping communities ravaged by COVID and gaining experience with your intended career path. Positions are available in marketing and communications, video production, and graphic design, as well as finance and educational coordinating. 

Hone Your Leadership Skills

Is learning about leadership, global issues, and public service while gaining community service hours your passion? Consider joining the Hugh O’Brian Leadership program, affectionately referred to as HOBY.

This organization carries out annual weekend-long leadership seminars for high school sophomores in which you are joined by real community leaders and HOBY administrators who provide you a step-by-step process to making a true, long-lasting impact in your community. Contact your guidance counselor to be sponsored for this incredible event. 

For high school juniors and seniors, joining the HOBY’s World Leadership Congress allows you to partner with other passionate students on an international level, focusing on addressing global issues. You’ll be mentored by global activists and exercise your leadership skills through workshops with your fellow peers.

This year’s seminar will be hybrid with a mix of in-person and virtual activities for all who are able to attend. After attending these seminars, you officially become HOBY alumni, granting you access to a range of other volunteer opportunities.

Get Published

Love to write, read and research? Consider submitting your work to the Concord Review, a quarterly journal that focuses on publishing academic papers by high school students from all over the world (as long as it’s in English).

You can choose to write about any historical topic, modern to ancient from international to domestic. This journal is highly selective, only accepting 5% of its submissions while requiring a minimum of a 4,000-word count. Calling all writers if you’re up for this challenge!

Let Your Inner History Buff Shine

Love history and politics? The JFK Political Courage Essay competition is another way to showcase your writing talents for all high school students in the U.S! Here, you need to pick one elected official that held office in the U.S after JFK was born and describe an act that fits the described version of political courage, further explained on the official website. Submissions open up every September. 

Consider these options as extracurriculars to supplement your resume, college applications, and general skills. 

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