Neville Longbottem transformed from a blundering idiot to the hero who destroyed Voldemort's most precious Horcurx. How did he do this? Through extracurriculars, which are also extremely important for students in the real world. I agree with my principal that all students should participate in one extracurricular activity. Extracurricular activities encourage students to become more confident and brings to light their hidden qualities, while also giving them skills that will be useful throughout their whole life. Students can also discover their passion through extracurriculars, which could eventually become their life's work.

Extracurricular activities instills confidence in a person and helps them show others their best qualities. If we dig deep into Neville Longbottom's school life, we discover that everything changed after he joined Dumbledore's Army, a club founded by Harry Potter to encourage the learning of Defense Against the Dark Arts. He gained confidence while he took over the club for Harry, and his true qualities of bravery and courage really shined through. Confidence is important because studies have proven that a person who is clearly confident is more respected by their peers. Possessing confidence helps a person to have good mental health as well and boosts up happiness levels by at least 80%. It is also important for a person to show others who they truly are, because hiding their true qualities creates feelings of dissatisfaction, which is overall detrimental towards a person's happiness. Helping students open up and gain confidence are just one of the several benefits that extracurriculars provide.

Students gain necessary life skills as well as confidence through extracurriculars. These life skills are often skills that can only be acquired through experience. Social skills such as leadership can definitely be acquired, and it is a coveted skill that can eventually lead to success. Just look at Neville! Proof that leaders are made, not born. Students also learn the importance of commitment as well as the skill of cooperation through extracurriculars like sports. In Quidditch, a sport that requires a ton of commitment and cooperation, Harry Potter learned to drag himself out of bed at the crack of dawn and deal with foul opponents, something which would definitely help him later on in life after he became the Head of the Auror Office. One of the most important skills a person can learn while doing an extracurricular is time management. Most self-made billionaires are masters of time management. Balancing extracurriculars with school is no simple feat, and will definitely prove to be useful in the future.

One of the best things about extracurriculars is that it will help a person find that passion which will fuel their life's work. By exploring different clubs and activities, a person can discover what it is that truly ignites fire in their soul. In a recent poll, 87% of the people who have a passion state that they are at least 95% happy about where their life is going. These are incredible numbers compared to the 97% of people who don't have a passion who state that they are less than 30% happy about where their life is going. Another poll has stated that less than an estimated 50% of people do not enjoy going to work. This is because they are not passionate about it. A person who hates their work will not be happy at all, which could result in early health complications. For students in particular, finding a passion is important because colleges are more favorable upon students who have a passion versus those who don't. Having a passion is necessary for happiness, and extracurriculars will help students find their passion.

I strongly believe that extracurriculars are necessary. They help students gain confidence and a passion and teaches important life skills. Most importantly, they make students happy. Neville Longbottom, the former laughingstock of Hogwarts, transformed himself through an extracurricular. Even though Neville is fictional, he proves the importance of extracurriculars, and shows exactly why every student should participate in at least one.