You might be thinking, is this a paid advertisement? Isn’t this a scam? No, it’s not. I will admit that when I first got my invitation during my first year at community college, I was also immensely skeptical. Some said online, mainly Reddit, that they just want your money and have nothing of true value to offer. That it’s just a mere cash grab, a waste of your time, and you’re better off not paying the one-time fee to join. In 2021, I decided to accept my invitation, so here’s my experience with the honor society.
For starters, it helped me transfer to NCSU. Adding that you’re a member onto your resume helps show you value the importance of leadership. Scams add nothing of genuine value asking for money, and that’s usually it. No courses, no academic or leadership training, no speeches, conferences, certificates, scholarship opportunities, none of these are available in actual scams. However with NSLS, the only legitimately recognized leadership honor society by Cognia, there’s more to it than just signing up and paying a fee. After you get in you have to take an orientation course provided by your NSLS’s chapter advisors in order to be inducted into the society. It is mandatory before becoming an official member and acts as an overall leadership introduction course to learn how to improve group communication skills, problem resolution, public speaking, career advancement capabilities, and other leadership traits that are universal to most social settings regardless of your profession.
There are also accredited advanced and executive courses if you want to go further, which gives you an official certification of your leadership capabilities. Other amenities of an NSLS membership include mentorships with success coaches, exclusive networking events, exclusive online job boards, broadcasts with notorious leaders of the world, potential scholarships, discounts from more than 1,000 different shops, and NSLS also provides custom Letters of Recommendation for graduate schools or employers.
When I was taking the introduction course to become an official member, one of the requirements was watching a few broadcasts live online. During the semester when I was being inducted into NSLS, broadcasts included interviews with Mark Cuban, Bill Nye, President Barack Obama, President George W. Bush, and the Dalai Lama himself. Each semester they have a diversified amount of well-known public speakers and leaders of the world speak at their conferences who give the audience insight into leadership, activism, social skills, and more. The 2023-2024 lineup of speakers includes Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emily Balcetis, and Adam Grant. Other speakers in past semesters include President Bill Clinton, Kevin Hart, Robin Roberts, Gabrielle Union, Bill Gates, Terry Crews, Dr. Bernice King, and so many other well-known accomplished individuals.
If you do decide to join NSLS, your experience will vary depending on your community college or university. Many NSLS chapters have events that are mandatory for the introduction course, along with optional events to socialize with other members or get volunteer experience. Joining my community college’s chapter before arriving at NCSU helped me immensely with my academic pursuits, leadership skills, public speaking skills, conflict resolution methods, and social skills. If you find an invitation in your mailbox or email inbox, I highly recommend looking into the organization and seeing if it is right for you.
North Carolina State University has its own chapter that was founded in 2012. They currently have 3,415 active members and 1,498 alumni. NSLS is the largest leadership honors society in the United States, with more than 750 different chapters and 1.8 million members. Its official Greek letter is Sigma Alpha Pi (ΣAπ) which means “Success, Action, Purpose.” Their official motto is, “Building Leaders Who Make a Better World.”