Nicole Barger is a sophomore at Dos Pueblos and member of the on-campus club Sources of Strength. She’s been a part of the club since about halfway through her freshman year. The club Sources of Strength is a mental health support club that plans various activities for the school.

Nicole says that she enjoys being a part of Sources of Strength because she likes the aspect of reaching out to people and making people happy. She also enjoys the opportunity to be involved with leadership and have planning responsibilities.

“I really like it because we do a lot of…leadership and also we do planning and it’s a very involved environment where we can work with people in the school and just keep everyone at school in mind,” Nicole said.

Nicole feels like she can contribute to event planning and the overall goal of the club by sharing ideas with other members.“I think I’ve been able to help by putting myself out there, that encourages other people to do that as well,” said Nicole.

Being in the club has helped Nicole with her confidence. It’s helped her feel more comfortable in reaching out to people, making announcements, and communicating during campaigns. “It’s definitely made me feel more confident and made me feel better about working with people,” Nicole said.

This club aims to be a safe space for its members and everybody else at DP. Nicole feels that the way everyone in the club acts and communicates with one another creates a safe space for her personally, being able to share ideas for campaigns and other events, but also feeling comfortable enough to take critiques and give input when needed. “Everyone in the club is super welcoming, and we’re super open to sharing and everything,” she said.

She’s gotten close with people in the club, and been able to form relationships as she works with them.

“A lot of people that I met throughout the club I talked to and got to know them more and stuff and was able to build connections and friendships,” said Nicole.