1. What are THREE (3) goals you would devote your time to pursuing as an Executive Officer (Exec) of Stu Gov?
a. Fostering class & school unity. Meaning that within each class students feel as though they have a strong connection to the students in their class and feel as though there is no division within their class helping to connect students with their respective class & connect them with the student body overall.
b. Promoting school events. Going to the events and encouraging classmates to join, creating excitement around the events.
c. Creating a more communicative environment. Hopefully, I can help students to feel comfortable communicating any problems that they may be having at Webb and provide a helping hand in solving their problems.
2. Find and transcribe a quote that you believe best exemplifies your approach to leadership. Be sure to cite the person who is credited for the quotation. (Ex. “It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” —Nelson Mandela)
“Leadership is not a license to do less. Leadership is a responsibility to do more. “ -Simon Sinek.
3. List THREE (3) skills or qualities you possess that you would utilize in your work as an Exec.
a. One skill I would utilize in my work as an Exec is commitment. Throughout my time at Webb, I feel as though I have gained the important skill of commitment. I believe that Commitment is one of the most important skills in leadership. A leader must have a certain degree of commitment if they wish to see any change in the community that they serve, so I think that bringing my skill of commitment would help the Webb community. It would help as I would see myself committed to whichever areas require attention.
b. Another skill which I felt as though I have acquired through my time at Webb and would be extremely useful as an Exec is engagement. Throughout my 3 years at Webb, I feel as though I have been actively engaged with my peers within my class but also outside of my class. This engagement has helped me to build relationships and be a listener to those in my community. Being engaged with my peers and community is especially important as it helps me to hear all the complaints and wants of my peers. It also helps as it makes me an approachable figure on campus as people are already acquainted with me and have already conversated with me.
c. My ability to collaborate well with others and be open to suggestions. This is a fundamental trait of good leaders. Webb has taught me to collaborate well with its style of learning and class design. Sports and my leadership within sports has also taught me the importance of collaboration and chemistry. I believe that bringing a collaborative spirit to the stugov environment is vital as it is a leadership group with many people so for it to function well, I must be able to hear other’s opinions and ideas
4. The 2024-25 school year will mark the first year of the unified Webb Schools of California. In 1-2 paragraphs, describe your vision for the 2024-25 school year, specifically addressing any challenges we may face during this transitional year, and how you, as an Exec, would address these challenges? (Please note: Addressing the challenges does not mean that you are expected to resolve them.)
In the 2024 to 25 school year, I want to preserve the traditions of Webb in which the two schools were unified, such as hoco, prom and many others. However, outside of this I would like to build unity within the one school. I would do this by holding many events that require interaction between the entire school. I believe that with events like this occurring monthly, or bimonthly, our school would become more unified until the need for this is absolved. This is one way I would help make our school more united and address the challenges. I would also communicate with those in other leadership groups and have them help conduct aforementioned events to help address the challenges.
5. Which of the Four Pillars of Stu Gov resonates most with you, your values, your interests, and your goals – Service, Advocacy, Joyful Engagement, or Collaboration? In one paragraph, please explain your connection with this pillar.
The pillar that resonates with me the most is Joyful Engagement. As I briefly mentioned, in the listing of 3 skills, engagement is important. Joyful Engagement carries that most resonance with me as I value being actively engaged and involved within your community. Joyful Engagement resonates with me the most because within my interests such as film club or cross country I find myself totally engaged. Joyful engagement is an important pillar to carry with you during your day-to-day lifestyle as it helps you to be more connected with your community, and it helps you to make others feel more comfortable in communities when you are joyfully engaged in that community. Joyful engagement also resonated with me because I believe in cross country and other sports if you are not joyfully engaged you cannot inspire others, so it is incredibly important in inspiring others and leading them.
6. Senator Diane Feinstein is attributed with saying, “Ninety percent of leadership is the ability to communicate something people want.” What do you believe is the greatest desire of the student body?
I believe that the greatest desire of the student body, while basic, is to be heard. The greatest desire of the student body is to be heard by their leaders. When I say being heard I mean that the student body wishes for their complaints & wishes to be listened to with utmost empathy by leaders. However, I do not think that their greatest desire ends at being heard, I believe that there must be some degree of reciprocity by whoever is the leader. So overall, the greatest desire of the student body is for their vocal complaints, comments, and desires to be heard and communicated to.
7. If you were given one school day, a budget of twenty thousand dollars, and complete authority to plan a program for the entire community…
a. What would be your goals for the day?
The goals for the day would be to go somewhere that Webb students do not usually get the chance to go to. Such as the beach or city, a place where there would be many opportunities for students to explore what they’re interested in. A more overarching goal would be to allow people to destress for the entire day, and take the opportunity to relax. I would also make it a goal to make sure that people interact with others that they otherwise might not, not by forcing it but by splitting people into semi-large groups that they are comfortable with.
b. What would the agenda/schedule look like?
The agenda would be to book buses for the class to go to whichever destination is engaging for the school overall. Once we embarked, we would designate groups so that everyone is safe and not wandering around alone. Then I would give everyone free time with suggestions of what to do for the entire day until dinner. At dinner, we would regroup and eat dinner together as a school with a new group that we didn’t spend the day with, that way we would have another chance to interact with others that we wouldn’t otherwise.
