The hope blog

Eilish Quan | June 10th 2021 | 3 min read

“Nowadays, there are a few ways most people would define passion. Some people may describe it as having a clear vision of what you want to do in the future and a path that will lead you there. Being able to discover your passion(s) early on as a student can be very exciting and rewarding. When you discover what you are meant to do, you can find ways to carry on this passion for the rest of your life.”

You may also be thinking “But I don’t know what I’m passionate about yet.” This is also very normal and it is common for students in high school to be confused about what they want to do in the future. In a world where there is so much information right at your fingertips, it can be stressful trying to narrow down your interests into a specific passion. Here are some ways in which you can use to explore what your passions are and find what makes you excited the most!

Start at school

Make a list of all of your current class subjects and rank them in order of the ones you love the most and the ones you like the least. Write down the reasons why you like/dislike each subject. Is there a common pattern or theme? Maybe you really enjoy English and Social Studies, or you might really love Math and Physics. Start making a list of all your after-school activities if you have any and rank them the same way as your class subjects. Ask yourself these questions to get started on reflecting on what you are really interested in.

Which subject do you look forward to the most every day? Why is that?

Why did you choose to join your after-school activities?

Which extracurricular activity do you like the least?

If you could start a club about anything, what would it be about?

Are there any jobs that you can think of right now that you might be interested in?

Take a personality test

Are you a leader or do you prefer to hang back and follow instructions? Are you the type to follow the crowd or do you prefer to stand out amongst everyone else? Are you good with hands-on work or do you like to solve puzzles? Finding out what kind of person you are right now can also help you decide where your passions lie. An easy way to learn more about yourself is to take a personality quiz. Different personality types are often suited best for different fields of work. These tests can provide a rough idea of what you may be like and where you might fit in based on what your current interests are already.

Volunteering

Now that you have a clearer idea of what topics and causes you are interested in, it’s time to act upon them to see if you would enjoy pursuing these activities. Volunteering is a great way to explore new interests and passions that you may not have previously thought of before. You can choose what you know you like or you can try something completely out of your comfort zone. It can also be a way to test out and show what skills you’re good at and what you may need improvement on in a real-life situation. Start reading up on organizations and learning what they are all about. You can then gauge how passionate you are about a certain cause and if you have the skills to provide quality support for this cause.

Further Support

It can be daunting to navigate through this path of finding your passion all by yourself. Luckily, if you decide to volunteer as a Community Leader with the HOPE for Community program, you will be supported through every step of the process! After completing your application, you will be provided with a scientifically validated personality assessment to gain more self-awareness about your strengths and weaknesses. Then, you will be matched with potential volunteer organizations that suit your interests. Every month, there are workshops hosted by university students and professionals where you will be able to connect with to further explore other topics and develop new skills that you may not have known about before. After volunteering and understanding more about your passions, you will also have the opportunity to start an initiative and collaborate with your organization as a committed Community Leader.