Why are you running for this position?
I’m running for secretary specifically because I think it’s the best role for myself as a person because I’m someone who is very organized, a little bit on the bossy side. So I like to make sure that people stay in line, make sure they get things done, and in terms of planning an event, there’s always someone who has the big idea and the creative stuff, and there’s always someone who has to worry about how many chairs we’re going to have and all that kind of stuff, and I’m the kind of person that will make sure that there’s seats in the audience when you see this awesome play or whatever it’s going to be.
What impact do you hope to make while in office?
My main thing, if I was elected, I would try and focus on is making Student Council more efficient and more cohesive as a group. I feel like the best way to change things is to start from the inside, and I really want to bring the best that we can at Rock Bridge because we have such a great student group, great teachers, great environment, that I want to make sure that we’re not falling short of the really high standards that the school sets for us.
What have you done to campaign?
So far I have posters printed out, not up yet, but hopefully people will like them. I’ve started a Facebook event trying to get people to sign up to remember, “Oh, this day I have to go vote,” because I feel like too often people just forget that “Oh, voting is today,” and so there’s not even a good representation of the people. And you know, just word of mouth, like “You, vote for me now; tell all your friends. Go,” just you know, that kind of thing.
What makes you qualified for the position?
I would think first off my two years at Rock Bridge on Student Council and three years in the past at Jeff Junior and Gentry helped me kind of know how things work within Student Council, and kind of like how much work it does take to be in Student Council, and then also just my life experience. I would classify myself as a leader, and I’ve been in other organizations, like Columbia Junior Leadership Program, that really help me to develop my skills at leading a group, or not participating, but contributing to a group and how it can really make things happen.
What good qualities do you have that would make you a good candidate for this office?
I would say first off, just to organize, I’m a really big perfectionist, so I’m not going to just let things slide as they are, I’m going to make sure everything is the best that it can be. Like I said, kind of bossy, so I’ll make sure things don’t get out of hand, and I think I’m kind of diverse, like I do a lot of different activities, so I can get a lot of different opinions from people, and not just have one point of view, like think “Is this really best for the most amount of people?”
What politician would you model your approach after?
I would say Chuck Norris. Because I’m not all that big of a political fan for America. I’m not like … kind of an anarchist. No, not really. But I try to not constrain myself to one person, to one point of view. I like to be open and consider a lot of different things.
Like Chuck Norris.
Yeah, like Chuck Norris! And I just win. At everything. Like Chuck Norris.
Where do you see yourself politically in ten years?
I would see myself as, not going into politics, but someone who would definitely be a part of the local community, maybe in like a chamber of commerce kind of feel, not big, but being involved in the community issues, like what’s going to run the city that I live in. Especially if, maybe not in the next 10 years, but whenever I have a family, I definitely would want to be involved with the schools, making sure education is the most important thing for the community.
How are you reaching out to the community to help your campaign?
Right now, I’m focusing on the election process within the school, but I know once Student Council comes back in session, we’re very in tune with things happening around the community, like when we partnered with MU for Dance Marathon to raise money for the Children’s and Women’s Hospital at MU, and we have blood drives that go to Red Cross and across the community, and the honors flight, we did that with Sarah Hill and KOMU, trying to raise money for that. So I think in Student Council we try to reach out and make sure that we’re involved in things because the school is not just on an island; it’s within a community, so we want to make sure we can interact positively with the community.
What are your ideas on the playground additions to the north side of the school?
I’m currently not as informed as I would like to be on the issue, but I would be interested in definitely watching its development and seeing how that could impact the students at Rock Bridge.
What do you think the student body is looking for in a candidate?
I think people always want someone that they can relate to. You don’t want to elect someone who’s just a jerk. Come on, that would just be weird. But I think what they should be looking for is someone who’s going to be a hard worker and someone who’s going to provide the best for the students and do what needs to be done. But I feel like you have to be someone who can stay in touch with people, like they know you and you’re able to publicize things. They want someone they can relate to.
By Asa Lory