by Athena Leskovics
SPIA is such an amazing community and there are so many ways to get involved. When you first get to college though, it can seem a bit overwhelming on how to start getting involved and where to get involved. I am going to share a couple thoughts and ways that I got involved within the SPIA community. My freshman year I made it a goal to get involved or gain a position within a club each semester which was a somewhat hefty goal. I started this goal by browsing the club catalog and this was rather overwhelming so I instead spoke to SPIA alum and this was incredibly helpful in giving my insight on how to get involved. I joined the SPIA mentorship program and my SPIA mentor was such a light. She told me about study abroad programs, clubs, and what classes to take. The first club I joined here at UGA was the Loch Johnson Society. It is an incredible opportunity for any SPIA students who love to write, research, or edit. Later I became a SPIA Ambassador and Peer Tutor. As a SPIA Ambassador you get to work to represent the very school you love! As a peer tutor you get to take past knowledge from classes you have taken and help other students taking SPIA courses. Studying abroad through SPIA is another incredible way to get more connected to SPIA students and professors in a unique environment. The best piece of advice I have to give though is to talk to older SPIA students and SPIA alum on what they felt helped them to get involved in the school or what has helped them.
