It’s 7:15 AM on Tuesday, a time they dread. The sun has barely peeked over the horizon. Most students are sleeping. The few that wake up know that they can sleep for one more hour. Some are early birds and find it time to wake up. Though a select few individuals are bewildered at the fact their moms forgot to wake them up earlier—they may be late for ASB!
The Associated Student Body (ASB) cultivates UPA’s spirit into events and activities. These students may be considered the public servants of the school: working with the intention to make every student’s school life better and more eventful. In the 2023-2024 school year, there were 159 applicants for 37 student-held positions.
In the bustling ecosystem of high school student government, four pivotal types of roles stand out: the president, vice president, class officers and commissioners. Each role, distinct in its responsibilities and challenges, forms the backbone of student leadership and engagement. Senior Panav Vashishat, junior Caitlin Earle and senior Mahi Gupta offer a deeper dive into these roles, providing a glimpse into the workings of student government.
Vashishat’s tenure as president may be found similar to steering a ship through a storm—he faces a considerable amount of challenges while coordinating activities and managing the varied needs of the student body at the same time. One major commitment that he has is inclusivity, as he emphasizes every voice in ASB.
“One of the main things I stressed was making sure that people’s voices and opinions are heard and making them feel like they’re in that environment to be able to give their opinion and talk about what they like,” Vashishat said. “I also consider their points and whatever they think can benefit ASB.”
As president, Vashishat conducts a major balancing act: integrating a spectrum of views while steering ASB towards unified goals.
“Every meeting, we’re splitting into groups or we’re brainstorming,” he said. “The main thing I stressed is making sure that everyone’s in touch and knows what’s going on. Whether that be checking in on each group to make sure we’re on the same page or doing share outs at the end of ASB to make sure everyone’s on board. That’s how we get an equal, mutual agreement on how we want to do things.”
The balancing act extends to his personal life as well, where Vashishat juggles his presidential duties with academic responsibilities. Finding his flow, Vashishat claims that balance is crucial when contributing to a role in ASB.
“It was all in my mind at once and it was really hectic,” Vashishat said. “But the one thing that kind of worked out for me is when I found a schedule.”
Not only does the role of president require leadership skills, but the importance of time management is essential for success academically and professionally. Navigating from the intense role of president to the just as notable role of class officer can be seen as a different but equally compelling approach to student governance.
As junior class officer, Earle’s role is a lively mix of event planning and fostering a sense of spirit among her peers. The challenge for her lies in creating events that encourage and resonate with a diverse student body within her grade level. She intends to bring opportunities to participate in school events that relate to them, hoping to unify her peers.
“It’s good to talk to different people about what activities they want because we can plan as many activities,” Earle said. “But then if people don’t want to do them, then they’re not going to be successful.”
Balancing her responsibilities as a class officer with her academic workload is another crucial aspect of Earle’s role.
“I do sports at the school,” Earle said, “so it’s definitely really hard for ASB. It’s mainly just waking up early and then I just have to keep a schedule of all the stuff that I have to do. It’s important to plan my days out.”
Similar to the president’s difficulties surrounding time management and balance, Earle’s contribution to ASB highlights the vital balance required to maintain excellence throughout her academic career, social involvements and extracurricular activities.
Commissioners cover various aspects that help support the school; their contribution varies with the desires and opportunities the student body presents. The focus points of the different commissioners include finance, athletics, spirit, activities, dances, rallies, middle school events, clubs and organizations, culture and diversity, publicity and communications, technology, orientation and outreach and sustainability.
As Commissioner of Dances, Gupta brings creativity and logistical shrewdness to the table. Planning school dances involves more than just aesthetics; it requires appealing to her peers.
“[The hardest part is] probably deciding a theme or trying to figure out something that everybody will enjoy,” Gupta said. “I feel like there’s always a lot of debate over the themes for homecoming. We went through a good three or four different themes before we finally chose one a couple of weeks before homecoming.”
Her perspective sheds light on the careful consideration and creativity involved in making dances memorable and inclusive. She also brings into account the issue of budget and its effect on the school’s yearly events on dances, rallies, theater events, student-parent gatherings and bachelorette/bachelor events.
“In the previous years, I didn’t understand why some of the dances were not as decorated as the bigger schools,” Gupta said. “Then, when I started to [plan] it this year, I realized the budget was the issue along with cleaning and decorating and everything, and we don’t have that many people putting stuff up either.”
Yet, the importance that Gupta and other commissioners bring forth regardless of the limited budget is the hard work and dedication that goes into each event to make them possible. These advocates listen to student opinions and insight, using it to adapt and evolve school experience for students.
“We’re always open to new thoughts and ideas,” Vashishat said.“If you ever see me or if you ever see another ASB leader, you can literally come up to us anytime and give your suggestion. I’ve had people do that to me in the past. Now, we’ve changed a lot of things in ASB. For example, a night rally—those are coming into conversation because of feedback people have given in the past.”
