Leo Woods

The Student Leadership and Involvement office located on the third floor of Sawyer.

Involvement has defined my time at Suffolk — it has led me to a career I am immensely passionate about, taught me countless skills I use in my day-to-day life, introduced me to my closest friends and prompted immense personal growth. These experiences aren’t exclusive to me — involvement is open to every student and opportunities are just waiting to be taken.

In college, time is a currency. Outside of classes and taking care of one’s self, the question arises of how the rest of that time is spent. From my own experiences, involvement as a college student provides opportunities to find community, experience, learn new things and make memories to last a lifetime.

Learning does not just happen in a cycle of lecture, paper, exam, repeat; true learning, the kind of learning that becomes applicable for years to come, stems from experiences, from applying what you learn into what you do and from finding what you’re passionate about.

For me, my involvement has taught me so much by doing and experiencing. From The Journal, where I have learned so much about being a journalist, grown tremendously as a writer and learned how to be a better communicator; to my time as an Orientation Leader where I discovered more about how I function as a leader, about how to work in a team and think on my feet in different situations, my involvement has lit the path to learning so many skills that I apply in my day-to-day life.

The benefits of involvement in college have been proven — research conducted by Johns Hopkins University, supported by numerous studies from the last several decades, found that involvement in college resulted in improved mental wellbeing, personal growth and overall learning throughout college.

Especially at Suffolk, involvement creates community and provides students with the opportunity to shape the university’s culture through leadership roles. Regardless of the type of involvement, from on-campus employment to career-focused organizations to interest-based clubs, these opportunities introduce students with common interests and provide them with the chance to make lifelong friendships.

Through my involvement, I have found many of my closest friends, the people who have become my support system and constant sources of joy for me at Suffolk. By being involved in things I love and am passionate about, I have found the people who share these interests and passions, and make me feel the most myself I ever have. 

For me, involvement has opened countless doors. At the beginning of my Suffolk career, joining The Journal created a foundation of support, confidence and community that introduced me to opportunities such as becoming an Orientation Leader and later, Orientation Team Leader, traveling with the Global Gateway Program and Journey Leadership Program, and so much more. 

I won’t deny it – my schedule is busy. But I’m busy doing what I love with the people I love, and I wouldn’t change that for anything.