Freshman Vice President Chantel Martino

“Back in middle school, I wanted to join student government for I had previously
participated in elementary school,” said Chantel Martino, vice president for the class of
2021. Instead of running for office during that time, Martino ended up making excuses.
This fall, she decided to stop making excuses and she found herself on the Associated
Student Body (ASB) staff. “It’s a great way to meet people and help your school and
community,” Martino said. “High school student government is a one-time opportunity
after all, so you should try it while you can.”
One of Martino’s passions is helping people, and serving in student government
is one way she can do that. “I believe my role as vice president is to encourage, lead
and uplift, not only the freshman leadership class but also the people outside of it as
well,” she said.
Besides student government, Martino is also a member of Key Club and Filipino
Club. She volunteers in her church’s children’s ministry as well as their praise and
worship team. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family,
reading, watching Filipino and Korean dramas and writing stories. She also enjoys
being outdoors, going fishing and attending church. “I am very passionate about my
faith and I strive to achieve a character that is pleasing in the eyes of the Lord,” she
said. “I also look up to my parents because, although they had a good life in the
Philippines, they immigrated to the United States to help provide a good life for their
family.”
Ideally, Martino would like to see the students at Armijo intermingle more. “Many
students, especially freshmen, tend to want to stay in their comfort zones and be with
the people they have known for years,” she said. “If we created a system in which
students, both lowerclassmen and upperclassmen, were able to get to know each other
better, I think this would change the school’s atmosphere socially.”
While she still has a few years to make an impact on the Armijo campus, Martino
plans to graduate in 2021 and attend Stanford or the University of California, San
Francisco. She is considering a major in pre-med and eventually find herself working as
a pediatrician.