There are more than 70 exciting and rewarding student organizations and clubs at the university. Now, we are extremely excited to announce a new organization to add to that list — drumroll please — the Military Spouses Club.
The Military Spouses Club, according to the Student Affairs website, “supports spouses, provides networking opportunities, and advocates for military spouse causes.” The club also “aims to unite students, alumni, faculty and staff interested in supporting military spouses and the unique issues they face.”
“Co-curricular programs outside of the virtual classroom are an incredibly important piece of the university experience.” — Dr. Gwen Hall, Chief of Staff, Office of the President
Why Organize a Military Spouses Club?
I have taught at the university for over 10 years now, and in every one of my classes, I have had numerous military spouse students. From new military spouses to seasoned spouses, nobody knows the life of a military spouse better than another military spouse.
We all go through the same highs and lows. We all experience the same separations, loneliness and challenges. And we all face unique and particular hurdles associated with completing our education. Changes in duty station and continuous moves make completing a degree at a traditional brick-and-mortar school nearly impossible.
Together, we know firsthand how jam-packed our days are fitting all the needs of family into regular moves, long work hours and deployments. The Military Spouses Club provides the chance to get together and share ideas, as well as to socialize and unwind with others who “understand us.”
What Are the Benefits of Joining the Military Spouses Club?
Why did Dr. Hall state that programs outside the classroom are “an incredibly important piece of the university experience”? While classroom experiences and studies are extremely important to college success, there is more to college than classes.
College helps you to become more well-rounded, both inside and outside the classroom. So, you ask, what can the Military Spouses Club do for me?
Learn More About Yourself
Joining the Military Spouses Club will help you to learn more about yourself; participating will also help you to become more comfortable with yourself. You will be able to work on identifying your strengths and weaknesses and improve your skill sets.
Working with a team toward a common goal is rewarding and brings a sense of achievement. As a group, we can accomplish whatever our membership desires, and it will make us all better as we learn about ourselves and others.
Gain Leadership Skills
Joining the Military Spouses Club is an opportunity to gain valuable leadership skills. You may be reluctant to immediately assume a leadership position, so begin by helping out on a committee or helping to plan an upcoming event. As you get more comfortable with leading, consider heading a committee.
Finally, as you become more comfortable and experienced, consider taking on one of the club’s leadership positions to navigate its future. Helping is rewarding, and gaining leadership skills will be important to you in the future. In the long term, having your degree and the acquired leadership skills will make you more marketable and sought after in a variety of career opportunities.
Start a management degree at American Military University. |
Networking
Joining the Military Spouses Club is a great opportunity to network. Military spouses have a wide range of backgrounds, so networking will help you to explore potential employment opportunities as well as to evaluate and refine your current and future goals. Networking helps you form valuable relationships with others who will assist you to get where you want to go.
The club will host a variety of events throughout the year. Members will be informed of upcoming activities within the university, as well as employment fairs and similar events and occasions.
Belonging to the club will also expand your resume and increase your marketability, as it is important to show prospective employers that you did more in college than simply attend classes. Employers are looking for well-versed employees who possess a combination of academic and extracurricular experiences.
Build Friendships
Joining the Military Spouses Club will help you to build friendships with spouses stationed all over the world and in all branches of our military services. If you are a U.S. Army spouse, chances are you’ve never met a Coast Guard spouse. You can learn from each other as you develop these friendships. Share your ideas and what works for you.
Also, it is always nice to see a familiar face when attending an online meeting or event, even just occasionally. Build those friendships now because the way the military works, we certainly will run into spouses we’ve met at the university at some point in our military adventures.
Have Fun
Finally, joining the Military Spouses Club will give you time to relax and have fun. With all of the stresses in our lives and time commitments, take a few minutes each month or every few months and enjoy some good conversation. Have fun interacting with other military spouses from the different services. We will all learn from each other, and we will all have fun together.
What Are You Waiting for? Join the Military Spouses Club Today!
So, what are you waiting for? With so many benefits available and absolutely no pressure, you should consider joining the Military Spouses Club today. And don’t worry about being too busy to join because you can be as active as your schedule permits.
Membership is open to all current AMU and APU students, alumni, faculty, and staff members. To join, complete the membership form on the Student Affairs website.
And welcome to the Military Spouses Club!
Comments are closed.