“When I joined Leadership, I felt a strong sense of fitting in, which only inspired me to run for student government,” said Sophomore Class Treasurer Elijah Shackleford. In this position, he gets to work with the other student government leaders to plan events centered on the Class of 2024 and the rest of the students at Armijo.

The role of Treasurer can be challenging, and between that and being the Clubs editor for The Armijo Signal, there’s not a lot of time to do much else. “Right now I am mostly invested in my school work and not much else,” he said. While he has that strong sense of fitting in, though, he’s not sure if he will continue being part of student government after high school. “It would really depend on my career choice.” Right now, that career choice looks like it is leaning toward something in the field of science.

For students considering joining Leadership or running for office, Shackleford encouraged a level of confidence. “A big part of student government is the ability to reach out and connect with others, so it’s important while you are running for the role is just to have confidence in yourself, as others will sense it,” he said.

While his role in Leadership is primarily planning, Shackleford did see some areas at the school that could use improvement, things that are out of his direct influence. “One thing I wish was different about Armijo was our morale surrounding sports,” he said. “I feel like some sports at Armijo are less supported to others and it can be really discouraging for student athletes.”

Shackleford is encouraged in his own life by his older brother Gabe. He looks up to him and, even though he lives out of state, appreciates that he makes the effort to contact him often.