With the start of the second semester, comes the end of the Senior ASB Officers’ election tenure. This means there’s some spots in need of filling. The job of an ASB Officer consists of organizing assemblies, holding monthly senate meetings, and making AHS an inviting environment. When choosing who should be behind these impactful decisions, it’s important we first know how they reflect the values of a leader.
The first applicant features Cheerleading Spirit Leader, Bailey Hitzel (‘27). “I feel like I always liked being a leader and having a say in our school community and how things got done, so I feel like I’d be good,” Hitzel said. Individuals who are confident not only in themselves but in their abilities are important within the aspect of leadership.
“Someone who has a strong role and won’t let other people’s opinions stop them from doing something” Hitzel said. Being “strong” can certainly mean a lot of things, in this case, it’s someone who’s emotionally strong. Somebody who sticks to their values no matter who agrees.
The next applicant is National Honor Society member Khang Tran (‘27). Tran’s reasoning behind campaigning compares and contrasts Hitzel’s. “I want to challenge myself as I’ve enjoyed leadership roles within class group projects, and I figured taking on a bigger role in the school community for leading a whole school would be very challenging, interesting. And I think I could learn a lot from it as well as help my surrounding peers.” Tran said.
From the sounds of it, Tran’s in it for the greater good of AHS and not just himself. Selflessness is a quality trait that isn’t the most common. “Qualities of a leader are clear communication,” Tran said.
“A thorough understanding and relationship with the people you are leading, as you can’t lead someone if you don’t know what they want or what they can do or cannot do.” said Tran. Building bonds with those around him are something leaders should focus on.
As the current ASB Officers begin to hand the reigns over to the next group, they left behind some wisdom. “They really do need to reflect on themselves and see if they’re here for the community or if they’re there for just the title itself.” ASB President Noah Climacosa (‘26) said
“A lot of struggle comes when you start getting really busy really fast and you start to want to push things off, but it’s a really big skill to have to be able to take everything and carry all of it at once and still be able to lead a group of people” ASB Treasurer Aubrey Roberts (‘26) said.
“Be all in with it, because it’s not really something that you can just pick day to day“ ASB Secretary Lukas Nations says. It seems the big takeaways are introspection, time management, and dedication.
In terms of what those three gained, Climacosa says how he met people that he didn’t expect to meet, and that kind of helped him bring a close knit community into his personal life. Roberts said how she gained a lot of friends, and how she ended up making a lot of connections, and Nations said he gained lot of amazing memories. Based on all these pieces of advice and experiences, it’s definitely worth your while to consider running for ASB.
These leaders in our school have either worked hard or are ready to work hard for the greater good of the community. So before you just vote for your best friend or the one with the coolest shoes, make sure they reflect your own values.
“Being a leader also goes both ways, as the people that you are leading have to be just as responsive as you are.” Tran said.