Meet your Senior ASB Executive Candidates for the 2021-2022 school year! Read on to learn what they're all about. Student Council Elections will take place next week, so get ready to cast your votes!
Roselyn Cabello
Why do you want to run for school leadership and what qualities do you possess that would make you an exceptional leader? What kind of legacy would you want to leave the school?
I want to run for school leadership because it is something I love doing. I enjoy being involved in my community and at school, and being a part of ASB will allow me to take on that leadership role at school. When working on a group project I tend to assume a leadership role, and at my workplace I like to take the initiative, but I can also be a team player as I have learned by volunteering at a hospital, and I am perfectly fine with standing on the sidelines when I need to. As I had mentioned, I enjoy partaking in my school community, and I already have experience in leadership roles from my previous positions as an Ambassador, a Campus Ministry Associate and Leader, and a member of the Corporate Leadership Intern Program.
I believe that passion is an important trait to possess in any given field, including leadership positions, and it is something I believe I possess. I believe passion to be important because it is the ultimate moving force to getting work done. With passion comes perseverance, another important trait to posses in a leadership role. When you are passionate about something you are willing to fight for it, and that is exactly how I feel being in a leadership position. I am the type of person that will fight for what they believe in, and stand up for those who can’t stand up on their own. In addition to focused and determined, I am hardworking and reliable. I have worked on different teams throughout my education, and I understand how important it is to be able to rely on other people to pull their weight, especially when working on a team like the Student Council.
Before leaving ICA Cristo Rey, I want to make a positive contribution, and part of it is why I try to be as involved in my school community and participate in as many extra curriculars. I want to show others that anyone can be a leader. As Vince Lombardi once said, “ Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” While anyone can be a leader, it takes hard work and effort to achieve your goals. And ultimately I would like to set an example for other students after me by being the best leader I can.
How do you plan to increase school spirit and participation across the student body next year?
I believe that the key to increasing school spirit is to create a positive community at school. The job of ASB and Student Council would be to essentially create a safe place for students where they feel welcome and accepted. Part of the reason students don’t participate in school activities is because they don’t necessarily feel welcomed in their class, and so I would like to change this mindset. Although ASB does not focus primarily on the incoming freshman class, if I am elected as a Senior ASB Executive, I would like to host an event, either online or in person; an event for incoming freshmen before the start of school, to come together. We could have games, and play music. Most of the freshmen, and some of the sophomores don’t really know their classmates all that well through virtual learning, and so this would be the perfect opportunity for students to get to know one another and form these bonds before the school year begins. Another event I would like to include is weekly lunch time activities. In the possibility that we continue virtual through the next school year, these lunch activities would be hosted through Zoom. Again this would be an opportunity to bond with other students across other grade levels. Although these events alone won’t increase school participation, they will help create a positive community at school, where students feel safe to express themselves and participate in their school community.
Jasmine DeVera
Why do you want to run for school leadership and what qualities do you possess that would make you an exceptional leader? What kind of legacy would you want to leave the school?
If there was one thing that people could not take away from me then it would be my determination and passion. I want to be able to inspire and influence others in a positive way, by showing them that I am a persistent person who does not give up on what they want to achieve. I want to serve as an inspiration to my fellow Spartan sisters because I believe that leadership does not only fall on one person but on an entire community. Through this, a fundamental change is made that allows me to not only apply my skills to different activities but to also pass on my skills to other individuals. I want to be able to use the skills that I have acquired from my previous experiences such as Fil-Am, Campus Ministry, being a teacher’s aid, and other more to be a service to the community where I belong. I want to hone my leadership skills and contribute my time, experiences, challenges to the ICA community to serve as a helping hand. With these, I believe I can inspire students like me, to be of service to the community as well.
Being an ASB Executive during my Junior year has given me the advantage to know what I capable of and what I need to improve on to better myself and the community that I have. Through Monday Meetings, managing schoolwide events, and creating videos, have all challenged me to create an engaging space that encourages the student body to feel more connected and welcome especially for the class of 2024. Although the pandemic has created barriers to other students, it has also benefitted our school to come up with creative ideas throughout the school year. I want to continue that creative aspect and bring more to ICA as we go forward with the next school year. Although we are in the middle of a hard time, I want to be known as someone who has worked hard to achieve a more inclusive community through a screen or not.
I have seen what my potential can bring me and I believe that with a positive attitude, then I am able to grow more into a better leader and team player. I challenge myself to be an individual with the intelligence and drive to build successful outcomes that affect my community. A person who is passionate to continue to live up to their values is someone who I want to continue to aspire to be. I also want to be known as someone who is happy in the things that they accomplish. Since success is an evolving process that we may find in different aspects of our lives depending on how we view them, I also want my fellow Spartan to find their way of happiness and success and use my position in order to create a space that allows us to aid them.
With these in mind, I will truly develop and take in a better understanding of my actions and values towards how they can grow and contribute to new and successful outcomes. Without a leader who is willing to offer contributions, to make better choices for strategies, or techniques, then change and influence can never be progressively made. As I continue to grow with my community, I want them to see me as an inspiration to continue to make transformative change in our school. I now know what I was able to achieve in the past and I want to still be open to new improvements that will not only affect me but also my peers.
How do you plan to increase school spirit and participation across the student body next year?
Answer below in a paragraph.
Since a lot of our activities currently are online, I believe that we should be as inclusive as possible especially to the new class of 2025. We do not have a fixed decision whether we are going back to in-person school or not, therefore we should create events that would focus on the class of 2025 at the beginning of the school year. The earlier we start bringing fun events to the student body, then the more likely they are to participate in the events. Moreover, since the clubs this year have not been fully in the picture, we could give set a meeting with a specific club, so that they can represent to ICA, what they have to offer. This can also entice a lot more individuals to join clubs since they will have greater access to different kinds of clubs. Overall, the more that we promote our events, clubs, and other activities, the more students can view this as a fun way to feel more connected and furthermore increase school spirit.
Jenny Tan
Why do you want to run for school leadership and what qualities do you possess that would make you an exceptional leader? What kind of legacy would you want to leave the school?
I want to run for Associated Student Body Execute again for the second time because I can continue to make a difference at Immaculate Conception Academy. I want to make ICA a more welcoming and enjoyable space for every Spartan. Every student at school deserves to feel heard and belonged, and I aspire to utilize my ASB position to ensure a more engaged and inclusive ICA community.
I possess many qualities of an exceptional student leader. I am creative, outspoken, and can collaborate with others. For instance, I am an artist, and I paint for a Teen Magazine called Swaye Media. Swaye Media has taught me how to express my creativity and strengthened my artistic abilities. I can generate excellent ideas, and I can utilize my art skills when I make posters, billboards, and flyers. Also, I am very outspoken and find it comfortable to speak in front of crowds. I hold strong opinions and find power in voicing them, so a listening audience is incredibly empowering. As a Pride Without Prejudice co-president, I have lots of experience working with fellow club leaders in person at school. Also, I served as a Junior ASB this year, so I have experience working online. Thus, whether I would operate with people in-person school, virtual school, or a mix of the both, I can perform student council duties in diverse environments for the 2021-2022 school year. Furthermore, I was pushed to think outside the box, and I’ve improved lots of essential skills during this virtual school year. One skill I strengthened is my verbal and written communication abilities. Collaboration over the Internet can be very different, so I have had to be very precise and straightforward about where I want to go with my ideas.
I wish to leave this school with the legacy of being a place for students from all walks of life. I feel as if there is a lack of representation for the Asian community at this school, so one of my main goals is to empower our Asian students. The school is comprised of many different people from all walks of life as 18% of our Spartans identity as Asian, so it is imperative to make Asian students feel more welcome, visible, and heard at school. ICA should uphold integrity for all cultures. Furthermore, I want to leave ICA with the legacy of great sisterhood. I wish to connect with every member of the ICA community to bring us closer together as a family. My most significant purpose for being in the student council is to continuing to create a space where every Spartan feels welcomed and supported.
All in all, I am well-equipped and qualified to take on all the responsibilities of a Senior ASB executive. I wish to continue to empower and connect with my Spartan sisters around me to make the 2021-2022 school year the best it can be.
How do you plan to increase school spirit and participation across the student body next year?
Answer below in a paragraph.
I plan on increasing school spirit and participation across the student body next year by listening directly to what Spartans want. Everything the student council does is an improvement for the student life at school, so we should address student concerns and comments. I will send out polls and ask people in person about their thoughts. Furthermore, I believe people start to participate when there is something in return, so the student council should always give back. We should start giving more free-dress passes, early lunch dismissals, and continue the spirit point count. Overall, school spirit and participation will only increase with direct communication.
Comments