Today, I wanted to try my hand at building an extracurricular brand. You know, something to make me stand out a bit more, especially with college applications coming up.
Getting Started
First, I brainstormed what I’m actually good at and passionate about. I mean, I can’t build a brand around, say, competitive knitting if I’ve never held knitting needles in my life, right? So, I jotted down a list: I’m into coding, I love writing, and I’m pretty decent at public speaking.
Then, I picked coding as the main theme. It’s something I genuinely enjoy and see myself doing long-term. Plus, there’s a ton of stuff you can do with it.
Building the Foundation
I decided to create a blog. Somewhere I can share projects, write about coding concepts, and just generally nerd out. Setting up the blog itself was a bit of a pain. I spent a whole afternoon wrestling with website builders. Eventually, I got something that didn’t look too embarrassing.
Next, I started working on some actual content. I decided to document a simple game I was building. It’s nothing fancy, just a basic platformer, but it’s a start. I wrote a blog post explaining my thought process, the challenges I faced, and how I overcame them. It’s not exactly Pulitzer Prize material, but hey, it’s honest work.
Sharing My Work
After I had a few posts up, I started sharing them on social media. Mostly just Twitter and a couple of coding forums. I didn’t expect much, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to put myself out there. It felt kind of weird, promoting my own stuff like that. I even shared it with some of my friends and family. Most of them just nodded politely, but a couple of them actually seemed interested, which was cool.
Facing Challenges
It wasn’t all smooth sailing. There were days when I felt like I was just shouting into the void. Nobody seemed to care about my little blog or my coding projects. I even got a few negative comments, which stung a bit. I won’t lie, there were times when I wanted to just give up. It felt like a lot of work for very little reward. I mean, who am I kidding? I’m just some high school kid messing around with code.
Keeping it Going
But I decided to stick with it. I reminded myself why I started this in the first place. It wasn’t about getting famous or anything. It was about doing something I enjoyed and maybe, just maybe, inspiring someone else along the way.
So, I kept coding, kept writing, and kept sharing. Slowly but surely, things started to pick up. I got a few more followers on Twitter. A couple of people even reached out to me, asking questions about coding and commenting on my blog.
Realizing the Impact
One day, I got an email from a teacher who had seen my blog. She asked if I’d be willing to give a short presentation to her class about getting started with coding. I was floored! Me? Talk to a whole class? It was a bit nerve-wracking, but I said yes.
The presentation went better than I expected. The students were engaged, asked a lot of questions, and seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say. Afterward, a few of them even came up to me and asked for advice on their own projects.
Moving Forward
That experience really changed things for me. It made me realize that this whole “brand” thing wasn’t just about me. It was about connecting with other people who shared my passion and maybe even helping them along their own journeys.
I’m still building my extracurricular brand. It’s a work in progress, for sure. But now, I have a clearer sense of direction. I’m not just doing this for college applications or to look good on paper. I’m doing it because I love it, and because I want to share that love with others.
It’s definitely not easy, but it’s been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. Who knows where it will lead, but I’m excited to find out.
