Experience as president

Serving as the President of the Software Development Club for a year has been a deeply meaningful experience. Through this role, I gained insights and learned lessons that I could rarely acquire in a standard classroom setting.

Background

Initially, I was a member of the Model United Nations (MUN). However, after losing interest in MUN, I decided to switch clubs during my sophomore year of high school. This coincided with the period when clubs were selecting their next generation of officers. Hearing that no one was willing to take over the Software Development Club, and since I wasn’t running for Student Association President, I gathered a few classmates who shared a passion for coding to step up together. As a result, I served as the President of the Software Development Club from August 1, 2025, to July 31, 2026.

The Process

The previous officer team left us no historical documentation—including, but not limited to, teaching slide decks and club evaluation records. Consequently, all of our operational frameworks and teaching curricula had to be built from scratch.

At first, I had no concrete direction for the curriculum. I initially considered teaching programming, but given the wide disparity in members’ skill levels, I set that idea aside. After researching curriculum structures across various clubs, I decided to cover Introduction to Computer Science in the first semester and Introduction to Software Development in the second semester. Since I wasn’t thoroughly familiar with computer science fundamentals at the time, I spent extensive hours self-studying topics such as complement systems and operating systems to prepare for lessons. In one session, I introduced artificial intelligence—briefly touching upon machine learning and deep learning—which ended up being our most fulfilling class.

Believing that clear structure is vital, I drafted the club charter during our second meeting. This included regulations for budget expenditures, meal ordering procedures, and operational guidelines, ensuring officers could execute their duties smoothly without overlapping or ambiguous responsibilities.

We also established an official Instagram account for public relations to promote the club and highlight lesson contents, eventually building a community of dozens of followers.

Finally, when compiling materials for the annual club evaluation, the lack of previous records posed a challenge. Fortunately, I had meticulously documented every meeting—capturing proposal discussions, extemporaneous motions, and agenda items. Assembling these records allowed us to submit a thorough evaluation and achieve strong results.

Personal Reflections

Serving as the President of the Software Development Club was a milestone experience in my high school journey. Throughout this tenure, I gained invaluable insights into leadership (see related article). Although I didn’t organize large-scale public events, I created cherished memories—running engaging club sessions, pulling all-nighters to finalize presentation slides, and navigating every challenge alongside my peers.