Spark was the most meaningful leadership experience I had in college.

On the surface, Spark fosters entrepreneurial thought and action across communities of all backgrounds at USC.

But internally - within the club culture - it taught me how to retain community. It’s one thing to get people in the door - it’s another to have them stick around.

Extracurricular fatigue is real in college or even in life.

You show up to a weekly club meeting - say hi - talk about a shared interest - and leave - and don’t speak to each other until next week. It’s draining - and not fulfilling.

I joined Spark and it changed my whole outlook on community building.

And I learned it’s simple.

It’s not about a club's network or exclusivity.

Rather a group of people with shared principles.

• We never looked at resumes—but instead at what drove people and their core values.

This created a community of people with similar priorities - connecting us deeper than ever before.

I believe this is a difference between a group of people who just show up vs a group of people who invest time and energy into an organization.

• For example - our club is now 10 years old and almost 35% of our alumni network - from the founding members to new grads - are traveling back to LA for our 3rd alumni weekend I’ve had the privilege of organizing.