Leading from the Front

I remember stepping onto the empty stage, heart pounding, with hundreds of my classmates staring right at me, when I gave my student council speech. My heart was pounding, and my stomach started churning. All of my effort culminated in this moment. When I opened my mouth, I realized that the hours I had spent practicing the speech finally paid off. When I finished my speech, the crowd erupted into cheers; real cheers, not the ones they give as a polite gesture.

Before the student council election, I was an obscure nobody, but now, people I had never met were walking up to me and telling me they’d vote for me. On top of that, I didn’t even need to get 1st place to win: any candidate in the top four became a senator. For the first time in weeks, I believed I had a real chance at winning. So when the email with the names of our new senators came out, and I wasn’t on that list, my heart sank. Naturally, I emailed my Student Deans, wanting to know how much I lost by. The answer was something of a double-edged sword. For context, over 600 total votes were cast in our election. And I lost by ten. 

One one hand, my narrow loss really stung me. Had I just gotten a few more votes, I may have won. But on the other hand, my proximity to victory inspired me; after all, if I had come this close once, then I can go even farther on the next try. 

But winning again wasn’t just about memorizing a script and repeating the same process next year—after all, isn’t trying something twice and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity?  I realized that in order to win, I needed to grow into a person my classmates respected and trusted to lead them on Student Council. 

Through clubs like SAGEx, Math and Microplastics, I learned how to participate in discussions by actively listening to others and how to solve tough problems when my mind is racing. I helped give back to my community by participating in events like the Peninsula Bridge Fun Run, and my school’s holiday christmas drive. 

Sports helped me build confidence and perseverance. Cross country taught me how to power through the final stretch of the race when your legs are heavy and your lungs are burning to reach the finish line. Basketball taught me how to play off some bruises or a split lip and how to give energy and attention to each play. Through sports, I learned how to keep going, when all hope feels lost, how to push aside your pain and try harder. 

The next time I run for student council, I won’t just be that kid]

 who had a great speech—I’ll be someone my classmates respect and trust to lead them on student council.