A Closer Look at Leadership on Campus: Student-led Clubs You May Not Have Heard of or Know a Lot About

Breck School has over 45 different clubs, but do you know about all of them? Most students aren’t familiar with all of the clubs Breck students offer. Maybe you’ve heard about some, but don’t know what they are or what they do. Each one has a unique purpose and works to recruit members to help get that message across.
Take UNICEF, for example. You have probably heard of this club, but do you know what UNICEF stands for? UNICEF stands for the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. At Breck, their mission is to spread awareness about initiatives through its four pillars: health, education, protection, and respect for the child. The club helps raise money that is directly donated to the UNICEF foundation, which is used to support children’s causes from around the world. Leaders Milly Rosenberg (‘26), Aven Leventhal (‘26), Frances Duffy (‘26), and Sara-Pearl Kabat (‘26) organize fundraisers and educational sessions on UNICEF initiatives that the club hosts. Leaders say a common misconception about UNICEF is that “a lot of people don’t know what we do or what the money we raise goes toward. Each month, the money is distributed to a different cause that has to do with children’s access to the four pillars.” The leaders all have different passions about this club. Milly loves getting to see the new initiatives each month and coming up with creative fundraisers for the school. Sara-Pearl loves collaborating with others and having a positive impact on our community. Aven loves that she has the opportunity to collaborate with so many students to make an impact on important causes across the globe. Frances’ favorite part of being a leader is collaborating with people from all grade levels to think of fun ideas to both raise awareness and fundraise for a good cause. UNICEF helps educate the Breck community on disparities around the world, and has a significant impact on the children our donations go to. Students can gain an understanding of global issues as well as the skills to plan, create, and host a successful fundraiser. Leaders hope that members learn more about issues affecting kids their same age around the world and gain valuable skills for the future. In their words the “goal is to introduce new, creative fundraisers and to do more education with the broader Breck community about UNICEF initiatives.”
Other clubs focus more on personal interests and future careers, like HOSA. HOSA stands for “Health Occupations Students of America” or “Future Health Professionals.” Who can join HOSA? Leaders Dawson Miller (‘26), Malia Boeckermann (‘26), and Martin Marshall (‘26) explain: “Our club is a group for people interested in medicine or potentially pursuing a future in healthcare. Our goal is to expose club members to a vast array of opportunities within medicine.” HOSA provides the opportunity for members to participate in various competitive events organized by Minnesota HOSA. The events can be solo or group-based and may consist of written tests, practical assessments, passion projects, and so much more! Club leaders are also working on organizing some healthcare-focused volunteer and fundraising opportunities for club members to get more involved in the community. Additionally, there will hopefully be guest speakers to share more about career opportunities within medicine. Some people think HOSA is only for people who are 100% dedicated to healthcare as a career or who have prior knowledge and experience in medicine, but this is absolutely not true. No experience is required to join the club, only a desire to learn! Leaders love seeing people get excited about participating in competitions and learning through these collaborative experiences. HOSA provides a space for like-minded members of the Breck community interested in healthcare to come together and learn, helping members strive towards their goals. You can learn more about medicine, develop leadership and communication skills, and have the chance to network with professionals within medical-related fields. Leaders hope members learn more about something within medicine that interests them and get a better sense of a potential path they may wish to pursue. They are also hoping to increase engagement within the club and provide more guidance for members hoping to participate in competitive events.
Helping the community in fun ways is a big part of Breck clubs. The Friendship Bracelet’s Club for Smiles, led by Hannah Cavanaugh (‘26), Cayla Cavanaugh (‘26), and Veda Rao (‘26), does exactly that. This club is not just making bracelets to share with your friends, it’s so much more. The club’s mission is to make friendship bracelets to donate to the Children’s Hospitals around the Twin Cities to spread joy. The leaders are also planning to collaborate with Letters of Love and tape a bracelet inside each one of the cards made! Most people assume that Friendship Bracelets for Smiles is just making bracelets to keep for oneself, while you are more than welcome to keep one for yourself, the ultimate goal is to give them to children in hospitals to brighten their day. The leaders “love seeing everyone come together to make bracelets and the energy it creates!” This club creates impact by spreading joy to the Breck community and the greater community. The bracelets make a big difference in the kids’ day. Making bracelets is a nice way to decompress during the day and do something creative. Also, you’re helping make a difference in the community. The club’s goal for this year is to encourage more people to join and participate!
For students who are curious about how the brain’s psychology really works, Psych’ED offers hands-on projects that turn theory into discovery. This club is a carved out time to hear from professionals in the psychology field, to further independent learning of psychology related topics, and make a difference in the community. Leaders Ana Ribciuc (‘27) and Julia Kratz Tebon (‘27) describe what their club offers, including: “Club-led presentations and activities about psychology related topics of the members’ choosing, community outreach, having guest speakers talk about their psychology niche, their career, and the steps they took to get to where they are today. And also learning more about different careers in psychology!” Ana and Julia love being able to help further others’ learning in a field they are really interested in pursuing and connecting with others with similar goals and interests. Throughout their time at Breck, they have both noticed a lack of psychology courses, hoping to help fill some of that gap. Additionally, through members’ presentations and activities, Ana and Julia hope that their members learn more about a wide range of topics within psychology. Some goals for their club are to create a community where members can learn more about psychology at Breck, career options, learn from guest speakers, and overall make a difference in the community.
Giving back to the community is a recurring theme in most of Breck’s clubs. The American Red Cross is a great opportunity for anyone passionate about supporting the mission of the Red Cross in blood services, disaster relief, and more. Leaders Dawson Miller (‘26), Caleb Li (‘26), and Anushka Srivastav (‘26) plan to engage in volunteer activities (like installing smoke alarms in homes), educational initiatives (like teaching younger students about disaster preparedness), and more! Some people think the Red Cross is only involved with blood drives, and while this is a big part of the organization (and as a club, may assist in hosting a local blood drive), there are so many other ways to get involved. The leaders love being able to show others how fun volunteer work can be and help people find something that excites them! The Red Cross Club will help Breck students develop leadership and communication skills that can be taken beyond the club and into our community. This is a great way to build skills in leadership and learn how to contribute to the community in meaningful and impactful ways. Leaders hope members find joy in the activities they do and see the impact their efforts have within the club and beyond through the Red Cross. They also hope this will be a successful first year of Breck’s Red Cross club, where they’ll have a chance to engage in a variety of different projects and hope this club continues to grow throughout the years as new members take on more leadership roles.
Another club you may not have heard of is Breck’s Gardening Club. The club learns about the process of planting and growing plants together while learning how to maintain them properly and live as long as possible. Leaders Abem Negash (‘26) and Rocket Hegg (‘26) give insight on what they are starting on: “Right now, we are growing pea pods and beans (some have already sprouted). Later, we hope to plant berries and other types of plants. We’ve gotten a lot of great recommendations from our members that we would love to try!” Abem and Rocket say a misconception people might think about gardening is that growing plants is a long and tedious process, but in reality, some plants can take just a couple of days to sprout and blossom. Another misconception that people might have with growing plants is that it’s a difficult process, and while that may be true for some, most plants are easy to take care of and require minimal maintenance. The club is fairly new, and they’ve only had one meeting so far, but they thought it was great when people who have never done anything gardening related learned how to fill pots and plant seeds. Gardeners of Breck grow plants to use as decor at Breck, focusing on the community overall. They also make a base for others to build upon and hopefully create their own mini Breck garden! Working with the environmental club is also something that leaders would also like to do this year. Rocket and Abem hope to build relationships with gardeners outside our community and learn what they know! By joining, you can learn how to grow different types of plants, and grow an appreciation for varieties of new and unique plants, and the difficulties people go through to grow them. Learning how to maintain and pay attention to plants can be useful for life skills such as patience and responsibility. Leaders hope members enjoy their meetings and create new friendships through a shared interest. Hopefully, also take a few plants home and create their own makeshift garden with the knowledge the club gives them.
Thank you to the club leaders for sharing about their missions and hopes for the year. If you would like to join any of these clubs, you can scroll down on the Mustang Minute and click on the Sign up for Clubs link!